The 'Wizard of Ahmedabad' Jasprit Bumrah turned out to be the difference-maker for Mumbai Indians again as the Hardik Pandya-led franchise defeated Punjab Kings by 9 runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Thursday. Bumrah's figures of 3 for 21 in 4 overs proved crucial to MI's triumph as PBK nearly pulled off a heroic chase, courtesy of rookies Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh. After Bumrah was named the Player of the Match, West Indies legend Ian Bishop shared an out-of-this-world praise for the marquee pacer.
Bishop, in his post, asked for PhD to be given to Bumrah for his fast bowling. He also gave him the nickname 'professor'.
"If I could anoint Jasprit Bumrah with a fast bowling PHD, I would. He is a terrific communicator, Knowledgable & articulate. I'd then have him hold bowling lectures to young for aspiring seam bowlers across the country at all levels. I wouldn't wait until he retired. #professor," Bishop posted on X (formerly Twitter).
It was a close win for Mumbai, admitted Bumrah after the game, even though the 193-run target looked untouchable early in the game.
"This was a close game. Much closer than what we thought it would go. Of course you want to make an impact when the ball does something. In this format the ball swings two overs. When I want to bowl more, I play Test cricket. That fulfills my desires. This format is a little difficult for bowlers, with time restrictions and impact player rules. Batting lineup becomes deeper and deeper. But that's not in your control. I do relay the message to the bowlers whenever I can. But you also don't want to deliver too many messages in the heat of the moment," Bumrah had said after the game.