"Will Not Be A Cricketer...": Jasprit Bumrah Makes Feeling Clear On Family vs Cricket Debate
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah emphasized that he isn't the cricketer to his family members, but a human being.
Jasprit Bumrah is widely regarded as the best fast bowler in the world right now. At the age of 31, Bumrah is carving a legacy as one of the greatest all-format bowlers ever. He is presently ranked as the No. 1 bowler in Test cricket. However, Bumrah has opened up on his perspective about the balance between his cricket career and his personal life. In a chat with former Australia cricketer Michael Clarke, Bumrah stated that family comes first to him, even before cricket.
"For me, family is more important than my career because you know that is constant," Bumrah said, speaking to Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
"There are two things that I take seriously. One is my family, and one is my game, but family comes first," Bumrah said.
Bumrah emphasized that he isn't the cricketer to his family members, but a human being.
"I have to give priority, and I do give priority because I will not be a cricketer all the time. For them, I'm not a cricketer. I'm a human being, and you know, being a young father, seeing my son, you know, he started picking up the ball and started playing with the ball, which is not advisable at this moment," Bumrah said.
Bumrah is currently in action for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025, where he has picked up 18 wickets in 11 matches, at an impressive economy rate of 6.36, the lowest among any bowler with a single wicket in the entire tournament.
Bumrah is set to have the best economy rate in the IPL for the second year in a row, having done the same in 2024.
The 31-year-old enjoyed a sensational year of cricket in 2024, being named the Player of the Series against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and being awarded the Player of the Tournament award during the T20 World Cup 2024.
However, injury concerns have meant that Bumrah missed the start of IPL 2025, and will likely play only three Tests for India during their tour of England.
"Obviously, it is tough for any individual to keep playing everything for so long. I've been doing it for a while, but eventually you have to understand where your body is going, what is the important tournament," Bumrah said.
"I just try and enjoy because that's why I started this sport. Take one day at a time and collect memories because, at the end of the sport, that's all I'll remember," Bumrah added.
Jasprit Bumrah
India Cricket Team
Michael Clarke