Jasprit Bumrah's return to the top of world cricket is one of the most compelling stories of the 2024 season. His figures of 4-0-14-3 against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup in New York were a masterclass in controlled aggression — 15 dot balls, three wickets, and a spell that helped India defend a modest total of 119, the joint-lowest score ever defended in men's T20 World Cups. Two members of the UAE cricket community who know Bumrah closely say his comeback was no accident.
How Bumrah Managed His Comeback
UAE coach Gopal Jasapara, who runs the G Force Cricket Academy in Dubai, visited Ahmedabad on December 19, 2022, with his academy squad. He spotted Bumrah training with a fitness trainer on the grounds of the Narendra Modi Stadium — lean, focused, and working hard but clearly not yet match-ready.
"He was working on his fitness after the injury," Jasapara noted. "He was never in a hurry."
That caution proved well-placed. Bumrah required back surgery in April 2023 and only returned to competitive cricket in August 2023 following a year-long layoff. Jasapara credits the BCCI's careful workload management — and Bumrah's own patience — for the successful recovery. Not opening the bowling and taking proper rest between spells within a match have allowed Bumrah to protect his body without sacrificing his effectiveness.
The Unusual Action That Makes Every Delivery a Threat
UAE international pace bowler Zahoor Khan, who served as a net bowler for Mumbai Indians during IPL 2020, has trained alongside Bumrah and offers a compelling technical perspective.
Khan points to Bumrah's unorthodox action as the source of his menace. Even a delivery that would be a full toss from most bowlers becomes dangerous from Bumrah's hand because batsmen simply cannot read the release point. "He is a big international star, but he is always trying to learn something new even from a player like me," Khan said.
'He Even Wanted to Learn from Me'
The story that best captures Bumrah's character came during those IPL 2020 net sessions. Khan bowled a maiden over to Lendl Simmons using slower balls delivered with his own unconventional action. Bumrah watched the footage and immediately approached Khan.
"Bumrah has seen that video and he wanted to learn that from me," Khan recalled.
The image of one of the world's leading fast bowlers asking a UAE associate-cricket net bowler to explain his slower-ball grip speaks directly to Bumrah's mindset — an openness to learning that Zahoor Khan says is as rare as Bumrah's yorker.
Back at His Best
India defeated Pakistan by six runs in that Group A encounter at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, with Bumrah's spell the defining moment of the match. For Jasapara and Khan, the performance was no surprise. They had watched the work that went into it — the patience through rehabilitation, the disciplined workload management, and an ego-free willingness to pick up something useful from wherever it could be found.
