Bumrah is the best bowler in world cricket now: Virat Kohli
Melbourne, Dec 30 : Skipper Virat Kohli rated Jasprit Bumrah as the "best (fast) bowler in the world" and someone even he would have been "scared to face" on a bouncy Perth wicket.
Courtesy Bumrah's match haul of 9 for 86, India beat Australia by 137 runs in the third Test to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
"Jasprit obviously is the best bowler in the world, as per me. He is a match winner, without doubt, even if he has only been playing (Test cricket) for 12 months," Kohli was lavish in his praise for the Gujarat bowler, who has taken 48 wickets in his memorable season in Test cricket.
The skipper then paid a rare compliment which possibly is the one that the pacer would treasure for the rest of his life.
"I mean if there was a pitch like Perth, I wouldn't want to face Jasprit Bumrah to be honest because if he gets on a roll, he can really crank it up. The way he bowls is so much more different to anyone and I think he realizes that more than the batsmen. That's why he is so confident about his skills," the skipper said.
Kohli said that it was Bumrah's "amazing fitness levels and work ethic" along with skill set that prompted him and coach Ravi Shastri to seriously consider him for the Test series in South Africa.
Talk about Bumrah's transformation from a white-ball bowler to a match-winner in red-ball cricket, Kohli said:"I think the fact that he was showing amazing levels of energy and fitness in white-ball cricket and hence he was so good because he was not giving runs with the new ball.
"He was getting wickets; he would come back in the death overs and not bowl one loose delivery. He was training like he wanted to play Test cricket. He was that obsessed about his fitness levels and his work ethics. So we discussed before South Africa that if we put him as a surprise package he could be lethal if he gets his lines and lengths right," Kohli explained as to what prompted them to riposte their faith in Bumrah.
The Indian captain feels that it is Bumrah's mindset of trying to perform without fretting over conditions is what makes him a match winner.
"The mindset he (Bumrah) has is what separates him from anyone else in the world right now. He looks at the pitch and he doesn't think it's a hard toil on these wickets. He thinks how can I take make a breakthrough for the team and your mindset separates you from the rest," the skipper said.
What has specially caught the skipper's imagination is Bumrah's bullishness when it comes to aiming for the jugular.
"He is as strong headed as I have seen anyone in the past and that's the key to his success, and that's what I have seen in the past 12 months. The way he has matured and the areas he has bowled so quickly in his Test career I think it's a scary sign for the batsmen around the world," Kohli had a word of caution for batsmen around the world."
The skipper revealed that the bowling strategy is primarily set by the bowlers themselves and as a skipper he only communicates a 'Plan B' if necessary.
"To be honest, in bowlers' meeting, I usually just sit and listen. It is very important to understand what the bowlers are thinking. And then in that process you think of plan B, and you communicate that to the bowlers. That's how we operate.
"But the fact that the bowlers are all the time dictating those meetings is how you win Test matches away from home. At the end of the day, they are running in with the ball so they need to be confident with their fields, where they are pitching, the pace of the wicket, how they can bowl dot balls and how they can get wickets."
The pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have together taken 134 wickets in away Tests in a single calender year, which is more than West Indies trio of Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall.
"That fact that they have taken total ownership of their skill and taken responsibility for the team is what has set them apart this calendar year. Results are there for everyone to see. It is not just talk, you know, they have put the numbers on the board. It is a collective effort," he said, about the bowling unit.
It is the team that comes first, which also evident in Bumrah's interview and how the wickets were evenly distributed between the quartet that also included Ravindra Jadeja.
"Even Bumrah's team interview post game was all about how could I contribute to the team. That fact that he didn't get any wickets in Perth and the way he bowled there, he didn't lose heart, and he knew wickets are going to come at some stage.
"And if you see the other bowlers, they are not trying to outdo someone else. If Bumrah is taking wickets, they are containing runs. If someone is picking wickets, Bumrah comes in and does his job. So does Jadeja. So does Ashwin. It is a team effort at the end of the day. When it comes together nicely, when it gets you results, it feels wonderful because you play cricket to win and get results," the proud skipper said.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
