Jasprit Bumrah launched an explosive rant against his critics, saying that they have constantly written him off at many moments. Bumrah’s workload management has been a topic of discussion ahead of the series, with the pacer himself admitting that he won’t play all five matches in the series.
Bumrah’s critics have questioned his ability to consistently play for the national side, and he silenced them with his 14th career five-wicket haul during day three of the first Test against England. The pacer’s bowling performance helped India take a lead of 6 runs at the end as the visitors ended the day on 90 for 2 in the second innings.
Speaking at the press conference, Bumrah said that what people write about him isn’t in his control and sometimes his name gets mentioned to ensure clicks come in.
“Look, what people write is not in my control, and I’m not trying to teach anyone or tell them, ‘Don’t write this about me, write that instead.’ Everybody is free to write whatever they want. Obviously, I understand that in our country, cricket is very popular. And sometimes, to make a headline, if my name gets mentioned, the viewership increases—so I do understand that. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter to me. Because if those things start getting into my head, I’ll start believing them,” said Bumrah.
Bumrah said that he wants to back his own beliefs and not listen to what others want him to do or play in a certain way. The Indian pacer said that his critics have constantly written him off by saying his career would come to an end in a few months.
“What matters to me is who I am and what I believe in—that should dictate how I go about things. If someone else wants me to play in a certain way, I’m not that kind of person. My preparation, my ideas—they’ve always been rooted in my desire to play for India.”
“I’ve played cricket based on my own beliefs. I’ve reached every format on the back of those beliefs. Because people didn’t just say no to me once—at first, they said I wouldn’t be able to play, then they said I’d last only six months, then eight months. But playing and playing, I’m now close to completing ten years in international cricket. It’s been twelve or thirteen years that I’ve played in the IPL.”
‘I’ll keep playing for as long as God has written it for me’
Bumrah claimed that people still say that he will retire soon, and his mantra is to keep doing his work and play as long as it is possible for him.
“Even now, people say the same things—‘Now he’ll go, now he’ll retire.’ Let them keep waiting. I’m not thinking about all that. I’ll keep doing my work. Every three or four months, people say, ‘Now he’ll go, now he’ll go.’ Let’s see.”
“I’ll keep playing for as long as God has written it for me. I prepare my best, and after that, I leave it up to God. With all the blessings He has given me, I try to carry them forward. I try to take Indian cricket forward too,” said Bumrah.
Bumrah’s stunning performance on Day 3 also saw him go level with Kapil Dev for most number five-wicket hauls outside India and became the first Asian bowler to get 150 wickets in SENA countries.
