‘Jasprit Bumrah 1000 times better than me’: Kapil Dev salutes champion pacer
A historic 1983 World Cup triumph and 687 international wickets later, legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev is convinced that Team India has finally found a fast bowler who is much better than the Haryana Hurricane.
Reserving ultimate praise for Jasprit Bumrah, legendary Indian all-rounder Kapil issued a monumental statement in the lead-up to Team India’s blockbuster clash with Jos Buttler’s England at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Fast-bowling icon Kapil claimed that pace ace Bumrah is ‘1000 times’ better bowler than he was in his prime. Bumrah is leading the bowling attack of Rohit Sharma’s Team India in the ongoing edition of the ICC event. Staging an impressive comeback in T20 World Cup cricket, the Indian speedster has pocketed 11 wickets at an incredible economy of 4.08 in just 23 overs in the 2024 edition of the showpiece event.
“Bumrah is 1000 times better than me. These young boys are far better than us. We had more experience. They are better,” Kapil told news agency PTI ahead of the World Cup semi-finals. The former India skipper was also pleased to see the much-improved fitness standards of the current Indian roster. “They are very good. Outstanding. They are fitter. They are much more hardworking. They are fantastic,” Kapil added.
Bumrah vs Kapil
If not the greatest, former skipper Kapil is arguably one of the best cricketers Team India has ever produced. Kapil masterminded India’s maiden World Cup title triumph in 1983. Kapil bid farewell to the longest format after becoming the highest wicket-taker. The former India skipper surpassed Richard Hadlee’s record tally of 431 Test wickets at the time. He is the only player to score 5,000 runs and take 400 wickets. The celebrated cricketer was never run-out in his entire Test career.
Regarded as one of the finest pacers in the modern era, Bumrah has played 26 Tests for India, and the pacer bagged 159 wickets. The Indian fast bowler has recorded 89 appearances in One Day International (ODIs) for the two-time world champions. When it comes to playing the shortest format, Bumrah has picked up 85 wickets from 68 matches for the 2007 world champions. Kapil bagged 687 wickets in 356 matches for India across formats. Bumrah is behind India’s fourth-highest wicket-taker with 393 dismissals to his name from 193 international matches.