New Delhi [India], May 31 : Former India tearaway Varun Aaron has described the world's current best pace express, Jasprit Bumrah, as an "antidote" capable of curing any illness that a bowling side suffers from.
Bumrah was Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya's secret formula for success after Gujarat Titans pursued the 229-run target with brazen assurance during the IPL 2025 Eliminator clash in Mullanpur.
Till the 13th over, the Titans were in safe hands with Washington Sundar steamrolling past MI's bowling unit with a 23-ball 48 while enjoying the company of Sai Sudharsan.
With Mumbai in dire need of breaking the promising stand, Pandya turned to Bumrah for the 14th over with hopes of a moment filled with magic to break Gujarat's resistance.
Bumrah produced his trademark searing yorker to flatten Sundar's leg stump, leaving him face down on the ground. GT's chances of victory that soared past 40 per cent plummeted straight down to barely over 23.
"He's like an antidote, a vaccine that can cure any illness, which a bowling side can have. If you want wickets, he comes and gets you wickets. If you want to stop runs, he stops runs for you. Man, what a bowler," Aaron said on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out.
"And the belief he has in his ability. You have an international coach (Mahela Jayawardene) who is obviously panicking because his bowlers have suddenly started to go to the cleaners, and he just turns around and is like 'just calm down, I'll do the job for you'. Comes in, runs in, gets hit for a six and then gets that ball," he added.
After Mumbai blazed its way to Qualifier 2, Pandya classified Bumrah as a "luxury" during the post-match interaction, who returned with figures of 1/27 after completing his quota of four overs. However, the IPL-winning coach and former Australian cricketer Tom Moody went for "pure class".
"The challenge every opposition has to Mumbai Indians, and Jasprit Bumrah more importantly, is that the 24 balls he bowls are such a threat. It's not impossible, but it's so difficult to get big overs against him. So you're really playing 20 overs versus 16 to a certain extent. And he is so far ahead of the rest, it's ridiculous," Moody said.
"The thing with Bumrah is that he's got that genuine wicket-taking ability just through his pure class. That yorker he bowled to Washington Sundar, you just don't bowl a better ball than that. That is the absolute perfect leg-stump yorker that's gone between his legs. At pace. To a batter that's in. Set," he added.
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