Jasprit Bumrah is Most Complete Bowler at the Moment: Vernon Philander Hails Indian Pacer

Former South Africa pacer Vernon Philander rated Jasprit Bumrah as the most complete bowler in the world at the moment as the Indian pacer was crowned as the number 1-ranked Test bowler. Bumrah recently became the fastest Indian pacer to claim 150 wickets in Tests.

The 30-year-old produced match-winning figures against England in Vizag as his nine-wicket match haul helped India level the five-match series 1-1 with three-match remaining.

Bumrah was at his very best on a placid surface where there was nothing much for the pacers but his ability to bowl reverse swing and yorkers helped him stand out.

Philander, who has played 64 Tests for South Africa with 225 wickets against his name, said Bumrah doesn’t seem to have any chinks in his armour.

“Bumrah is the (most) complete bowler at the moment. He has got magnificent skills and he has also learnt the trade of holding a line and length and that is the reason behind his success at the Test level,” Philander told ‘PTI Bhasha’ in an interview on the sidelines of the SA T20 Tournament here.

“Initially, he wanted to bowl wicket-taking deliveries all the time and leaked runs but now he has learnt consistency,” he pointed out.

The T20 World Cup will be held in June across the West Indies and the USA and inaugural champions India would be among the title favourites.

Philander said the team will rely heavily on Bumrah as he has become the sort of bowler who can never be written off in the shortest format.

“He swings the new ball, brings the stumps into the play and challenges the batters upfront. He is phenomenal with those change-ups and lethal yorkers and that is the skill set you want in the T20 World Cup,” he explained.

“I feel he is going to play a massive part in the tournament and perhaps also be the best seamer,” said the veteran

Philander, who is the second fastest ever to reach 50 Test wickets by touching the milestone in just seven games, was also full of praise for Bumrah’s pace colleague Mohammed Shami and said that he “uses his seam beautifully”.

“…the way he has gone to dominate at the moment is really exciting to see. The plans he had adopted when he came to bowl in South Africa. It is a tough place to bowl and one has to change the mindset from bowling on the flat subcontinental pitches to bowling here,” he said.

(With Agency Inputs)