I admire Johnson, Akram, Brett Lee: Pacer Bumrah

On a high after a consistent performance in cricket's shortest format lately, India's promising young seamer Jasprit Bumrah on Wednesday revealed that iconic pacers Wasim Akram, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson are the bowlers he looked up to and admired.

"I admire a lot of bowlers. My all-time favourite bowlers are Mitchell Johnson, Wasim Akram and even Brett Lee. I used to watch their videos and I used to bowl," Bumrah said at a press conference here.

"I had to learn from everybody -- from Mitchell Johnson I have learnt a lot. I have learnt a lot from Lasith Malinga, Zaheer Khan. Whenever I go to a senior bowler, I ask questions. There is not a particular role model but I try to learn from any senior bowler who has played international cricket."

Bumrah's Indian Premier League (IPL) side Mumbai Indians come up against Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-octane Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday.

Mumbai, two-time winners and defending champions, have found some momentum after a slow start to the season and are in the fifth spot with six points from seven games, with three wins and four losses.

The 22-year-old said that he has gained a lot of experience from playing in Australia Down Under, followed by Asia Cup and World Twenty20.

"I feel really nice because you get to learn a lot. From Australia I learnt quite a lot, then Asia Cup, Sri Lanka series. We had a lot of series. From the Indian team I learnt quite a lot because many senior players are also there with me," he said.

"I have always looked to learn from everybody. That experience really helped. Now in the T20 format I have played so many matches in international cricket. I am trying to carry that experience in the IPL as well."

Speaking on injured veteran pacer Malinga, who has helped him a lot during his stint in IPL, Bumrah praised the Sri Lankan right-armer for valuable tips.

"He (Malinga) is a world-class bowler so you always miss him. But we have been doing well in the bowling department. Mitchell McClenaghan has been doing really well for us, as did Tim Southee. So as a bowling group we have been doing really well," he said.

When asked the secret behind him mastering the yorker so well, Bumrah said, "You cannot master anything, but I still try to practice and try to execute. With only one ball you cannot be successful. So I try to mix my pace and I try to use the yorkers.

"I used to play tennis ball cricket quite a lot before playing serious cricket. Over there you bowl yorkers, so maybe that could be a reason I bowl yorkers. But it is very difficult to bowl, continuously you have to practice and then it could be helpful for you," the Gujarat bowler added.

"It is different for different batsmen. Some batsmen are good against yorkers, some aren't good... some are good against the slower balls. We have bowlers' meetings. We plan with the coaches. We see videos. So, that is the way we plan for every batsman wherever we go.

"So that is the which way I do. We discuss...I've my ideas. I ask my bowling coach Shane Bond also. We sit down together, think and then we make a final call," Bumrah concluded.

--IANS

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