Bumrah positive India can counter ‘ultra-aggressive’ England
The Indian pace spearhead talks about the much-anticipated five-match Test series, and a dream to play in the Olympics.
India and England will lock horns in a five-Test match series, marking the beginning of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship cycle .
Bumrah, currently part of the Mumbai Indians squad for the Indian Premier League, is among the experienced campaigners who feature in India’s Test squad against England, especially after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Jasprit Bumrah on his multiple ICC honours for an incredible 2024 | ICC Awards
An elated Jasprit Bumrah speaks on the privilege of being honoured with multiple ICC awards for his incredible 2024 🤩 #ICCAwards
The 31-year-old, who was phenomenal with the ball during India’s previous Test assignment in Australia, is eager to take on the challenge of playing in English conditions.
“Playing in England is always a different challenge, I always love bowling with the Dukes ball,” Bumrah said in a conversation with Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
“The weather, the swinging conditions sometimes, and then when the ball becomes soft, there's always a challenge. So I always look forward to playing in England.”
The seasoned pacer added that in Ben Stokes’ England side, a unique challenge awaits India.
"They're playing an interesting style of cricket which is interesting because I don't really understand it too much.
"But as a bowling unit, we always feel confident that when the batters are being ultra-aggressive, on a given day, anybody could run through and get wickets."
India and England will kickstart the five-match series on 20 June with the first Test in Headingley.
Olympics on the list
With cricket set to make a big return at the Summer Olympics, Bumrah also has his sights set on making an appearance at Los Angeles 2028.
"Obviously, it is tough for any individual to keep playing everything for so long," he said. "I've been doing it for a while, but eventually you have to understand where your body is going, what is the important tournament.
"You have to be a little selective and smart about how you use your body. As a cricketer, I would never want to leave anything and always keep on going. But I don't set goals or look at numbers. whenever I have [set goals], I've never been able to fulfil them.
“Yes, you have to be selective. Now I've heard there's Olympics in cricket coming as well. So that is something that I'm looking forward to. Who would've thought cricket will become an Olympic sport?”
Why Ricky Ponting is excited about cricket in LA28 Olympics | ICC Review
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting shared his excitement on the ICC Review about cricket’s reintroduction on a global stage in the 2028 Olympic Games.
Back in April, the number of teams set to participate in the men’s and women’s cricket tournament for LA 2028 were confirmed.
Both tournaments will be hosted at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California.