A close set of childhood friends who totally help him to cut off from all the noise that cricket provides; a set of like-minded friends to indulge in a game nine-pin bowling or pickleball in the evenings; family time with son Angad which is never compromised, and more importantly when all the hustle ends, putting himself in a PlayStation den at home. these are some of Jasprit Bumrah’s favourite activities that people in his close circles list out as he keeps chipping away with wickets on the field and not be overtly bothered about all the noise that has come his way with regards to missing a game here and there to manage his workload. In Bumrah’s home town Ahmedabad, his friends and past teammates in the Gujarat Ranji team don’t hold back when asked about the criticism that he has faced over the past few months. Since the England tour, which saw his return from a back injury he suffered in Australia towards the end of 2024, India’s premier pacer has been carefully managing his workload. And last week, having just played a gruelling Asia Cup in the heat of the UAE, he turned up for a Test match in Ahmedabad with just three days' gap in between. Despite all of it, his workload management has been under constant public scrutiny from former players and on social media where he has been castigated for missing Tests in England. “With him, he knows there is support from the coaches, the selectors and the BCCI who are managing his workload,” says Manprit Juneja, who played alongside him for Gujarat. “At the same time, when some of the former players do question his integrity and stuff, it does affect him. But knowing him, he has always been a person who is strong mentally. so someone commenting about it or a random twitter handle going after him isn’t going to affect him one bit. He is a thorough professional who understands how all of it works,” he says. It is here that the early years Bumrah spent in a middle-class society in Ahmedabad has been of huge help. Some of his close set of friends happen to be from his days in Thaltej, a suburb in Ahmedabad, with whom he played cricket. “He has a very close-knit group of friends from the housing society with whom he is still in touch. When he wants to switch off from the game completely, then they are his best support system. He knows how to keep himself away from the noise. If there is time, he will play pickleball or ten-pin bowling. If none of us are available, he just relaxes at his PlayStation Den. He is very good at that. Of course all this is only beyond his family time. Since Angad came in, he has been his ultimate preference. He always puts his family first,” Juneja says. When pressed again about whether Bumrah opens up about the constant criticism over his workload, the protective friend in Juneja takes over. “Like I said, he is strong mentally. Whenever he is down, he always wants to comeback stronger. That’s how he was when he started and that’s how he is now. For me, he is like what Roger Federer was to tennis after he turned 30. He showed he can win titles at 36. And people forget it is not easy for a fast bowler to play all three formats at 32. If you got to play long, you have to be smart and understand your body. When someone does it, I don’t understand what the problem is? He is a polished and a matured individual, who will always put the team forward,” Juneja says. Spending time to train with young boys and girls It is a story that former Gujarat captain Priyank Panchal also echoes. Having played a lot of cricket with the pacer in age-group cricket and in the Ranji Trophy, Panchal says Bumrah knows when it is the right time to listen and to whom. “In Ahmedabad, we don’t have a big cricketing culture like Mumbai, but he has never believed he can’t be the best. Mentally he is a very strong individual, who can figure out when is the right time to listen and not to listen. He is smart when it comes to his bowling. He self analyses his bowling a lot. Of course, there are coaches and data analysts as well, but he too puts in a lot of effort to improve,” the recently retired Panchal says. The 35-year-old Panchal shares an interesting facet of Bumrah. “When someone drops a catch or misfields of your bowling, any bowler will have a go at the fielder. With Bumrah, I’ve never seen that side. He will just smile. I’ve never seen him discourage any player at any level. If anyone fumbles, he would be the first one to go and have a word. He should be the last person getting these trolls and abuses,” Panchal notes. One of the unknown facets of the 31-year-old’s days in Ahmedabad is how he makes it a point to spend time with the young players in Gujarat College Ground. Those in the know say when he is in the city and is in preparation mode for an upcoming series, he hits the nets at 7am and returns only after 10am. “He spends a lot of time with young boys and girls. When he is training, obviously a lot of youngsters would prefer to pick his brain. He never stops anyone from approaching him. In fact, he goes out of his way to have interaction with them,” Siddharth Trivedi, the former Gujarat seamer says. The 43-year-old Trivedi, who now coaches Manipur in the domestic circuit, has seen Bumrah receive all sorts of advice about his action during his early days and still remain convinced that his uniqueness would work for him. “In India, when you are part of an academy, there will be a lot of advice. But he hasn’t changed what has been working for him. Only difference I’ve seen in him is, he now has a longer run-up. Earlier when he started off, just used to walk a couple of steps and start running. Now he walks a few more steps. He has been a unique bowler all along. Very few know what works for him and it is only right that he listens to them and not be bothered about the rest of the noise,” Trivedi says. 'How many fast bowlers comeback strongly after an injury?' Trivedi also points out that unless Bumrah isn’t strong mentally it wouldn’t have been possible for him to make a comeback post the back injury he suffered. Those were days where he spent a considerable amount of time shuttling between cities, looking to regain the shape ahead of the 2023 World Cup. Much has happened and flown past him: Mumbai Indians’s captaincy, Indian team’s captaincy, and trolling about his commitment. It wouldn’t have been easy but he shrugged all off and carried on. “How many fast bowlers comeback strongly after an injury? You will always notice a drop in pace or rhythm. With Bumrah have we ever seen that? When he returns to the field, he is always lethal. He doesn’t struggle with rhythm or do we see him bowling slower. He ensures he is always at his best. That is no easy job for a fast bowler. When a fast bowler suffers a back injury, the first thing they compromise is pace. When you lose that, you become totally different. But Bumrah that hasn’t been the case. It is happening only because he is managing his workload. This is the time to support him, rather than go after him. He always bowls his heart out.” As Mohammad Siraj told this newspaper recently, “Jassibhai rightly doesn’t care about outside opinions. That injury and surgery was so nazuk (sensitive). If he had played one more game in England, he might never have bowled again. The situation is that sensitive. He knows what’s best for him and the team.” Jasprit Bumrah, not just a true original in the art of bowling, but also a truly confident, self-assured individual who knows what works for him, and by extension, the Indian team.
