Jasprit Bumrah acknowledged feeling the pain of not winning the 2023 World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad for a few days. However, the right-arm speedster emphasized that it’s part of the job to move on from losses and focus on what comes next.
Despite starting as favorites with 10 consecutive wins, the Men in Blue faced defeat in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where Australia, led by Pat Cummins, emerged victorious with a disciplined performance throughout the game.
In an interview with The Guardian before England’s tour of India, the fast bowler indicated that things didn’t go India’s way on that particular day. He mentioned:
“I was at home, we’d won every game … you can’t just say it’s part of the game. It hurt. And it should hurt; we worked very hard, played good cricket.”
“It’s not ideal but that’s the job, you have to move on … in six months there’s another [T20] World Cup. Some days, the big days, it’s meant to be and it will happen. You can’t get to the final if you’re not that good. It did hurt for a few days.”
The 30-year-old spearheaded India’s pace attack, partnering with Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami to dismantle opponents. In the final against Australia, Bumrah took the wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith, but Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne guided their team to victory.
“My dream was to represent India in cricket”- Jasprit Bumrah
The fast bowler from Ahmedabad clarified that his primary motivation is playing for India. He stated:
“Playing for India was my dream and when I get tired, I always remind myself of this. That’s where the smile is from. A cricket career is limited, I won’t be doing it forever. I keep talking to myself and keep trying to enjoy it, because it means a lot to me.”
Bumrah added that he is drawn to the intensity of fast bowling, expressing a desire to make batsmen sense his impact on the game.
“As a fast bowler who learned through watching television, I thought that you had to get angry, you had to have a word with the batsman … and when I started playing junior cricket, I was that guy.”
“I had to channel my anger because I am a fast bowler, I do get angry. I don’t want to get hit; I’m not here to entertain or give throwdowns, I want wickets, I am here to make you uncomfortable. But I don’t want to lose my shape or my zone,” he added.
Bumrah participated in the 2020-21 series against England at home but had a limited workload as the spinners took center stage.
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