After delivering game-changing spells in Ahmedabad and New York, Dubai promises a third instalmentDUBAI: Oct 14, 2023. The much-hyped World Cup clash between India and Pakistan lit up a packed stadium in Ahmedabad. Pakistan, after a strong start, were 168/5 in the 34th over, with Muhammad Rizwan (49), well set and in form after slamming a matchwinning hundred in the previous game vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad to star in the highest-ever successful chase in men’s ODI World cups, their last big hope.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Enter Jasprit Bumrah. With the crowd chanting his name like a litany, he cooked Rizwan’s goose with a clever off-cutter after feeding him some serious pace, rattling the wicketkeeper-batter’s stumps. In his next over, Bumrah straightened one to castle a hapless Shadab Khan. Pakistan crashed from 168/5 to 171/7 and were all out for 191, setting up a seven-wicket win for India.Fast forward to June 9, 2024, Nassau, New York. India had just 119 to defend in a T20 World Cup thriller, and Pakistan were cruising at 26/0. Bumrah tilted the game again — nicking off Babar Azam to slip. Rizwan (31) kept Pakistan ahead until the 15th over, when Bumrah returned with a fuller delivery with generous backspin that flattened his stumps. One over later, he had Iftikhar Ahmed caught brilliantly by Arshdeep Singh. His figures — 3/14 in four overs — broke Pakistan’s chase and sealed a dramatic six-run win.
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Some bowlers defend. Bumrah transforms. In both encounters, he didn’t just keep India in the game — he flipped it, stitching together overs that choked Pakistan and swung the momentum irreversibly, proving why he is India’s ultimate game-breaker. Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya summed up beautifully when he described what Bumrah meant to his team.“Whenever you think the game is going away, just bring him (Bumrah). When you have that, it’s a luxury. It’s like Mumbai housing prices — he’s that expensive,” Pandya said after a game earlier this year. The script may not change at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, when Suryakumar Yadav tosses him the ball for the Asia Cup Group ‘A’ clash. The 31-year-old rarely allows conditions to dictate terms — he makes them irrelevant with his range and precision.
Ahead of India’s tour of Australia last year, former Aussie captain and India coach Greg Chappell hailed Bumrah as a modern fastbowling icon — “a bowler who combines the best qualities of the greats while forging his own path to greatness.” In recent months, Bumrah has faced criticism for sitting out of Tests due to workload management, a rare backlash in an otherwise celebrated career. But if history is any guide, the big-game performer thrives under scrutiny. Come Sunday, with a charged-up Dubai crowd and Pakistan in the opposite corner, expect Bumrah to silence the noise with the ball.
