Jasprit Bumrah has been an asset to the India National Cricket Team. He has been the premier fast bowler for the Men in Blue and also for the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI). Ahead of the IPL 2027 season, former MI bowling coach Shane Bond has shared what makes Jasprit Bumrah special.

Bumrah will be in action in the upcoming days for the Men in Blue side in the forthcoming two-match Test series against the New Zealand side, which starts on November 19th. This is going to be an excellent series as the Men in Blue won the T20I series and are also favourites to win the ODI series after having a 0-2 lead.

"There are always elements to any player where you look for improvement": Shane Bond on bowlers' improvement

While speaking stated the factor what makes a player develop into his best. He explained that there is always scope for improvement and that is the reason a coach is there to help improve the smallest areas in the game. Bond spent 9 seasons working with Bumrah; he worked from 2015 to 2023, during which time he had a good relationship with the India pacer.

“There are always elements to any player where you look for improvement,” Bond said. “It’s about making sure that you're pushing for those improvements, even if it’s in small areas. Otherwise, there's no point in being a coach. You're just a cheerleader.”

“I think the beauty of the time I spent with him…the IPL allowed us to be two months together and we worked for nine seasons. So you get to know someone pretty well. I think that really helps just the continuity and the relationship with the player.”

Shane Bond further explains that even if Jasprit Bumrah is the best fast bowler of this generation, he always likes to improve; that is the standard he sets for himself, and he has been competitive throughout his career. The experienced India pacer always had questions about where he could improve further, despite being an established fast bowler.

“So you can understand how they tick, the days where you can get a sense when they wake up, in a good mood or a bad mood. And you've got eyes on them all the time, so you can pick up on stuff.”

“As a fast bowler, you probably recognise that towards the back end of your career, you're going to lose a little pace. So you've got to find different ways to be successful. With Jas, given the level of his competitiveness, you were just asking and posing questions about areas where he can improve.”

"I'd go and see him": Shane Bond on meeting Jasprit Bumrah after back surgery

Jasprit Bumrah, who had his back surgery in 2023 in New Zealand, during that time Bond used to meet him, and the former Kiwi pacer shared his own experiences to come back from injuries plenty, though he could not answer all questions; his job was to try and listen.

“As a coach, I certainly don't have all the answers for everybody. But the job of the bowler is to just listen and consider it. Sometimes you just strike a good relationship with certain people and you can have an impact on them.”

“I'd go and see him and take him across to my son's school to meet all his mates when they were playing cricket. It was cool. So when you've gone through a similar experience, you can relate to it. I suppose it just makes that relationship even closer,” he said.

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