Marcus Rashford wasn’t on Jasprit Bumrah’s mind on Wednesday when he came up with the temple-point celebration like the Manchester United striker does after scoring a goal.
Such a reaction, which was seen from Bumrah at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Wednesday after he dismissed Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran, suggests prioritising mental health.
Talking of mindspace, Bumrah seems to be in that good zone which is crucial for India in the ongoing World Cup, particularly ahead of their marquee clash against Pakistan at the Motera in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
The “detached person” that Bumrah is, he keeps things simple and that makes matters simpler for him during game time. “I look at that particular day as to what I have to do. I look at my preparations. And I am a little detached person. I don’t know what’s going around in the world.
“So, I just look at what I have to do on that particular day and, obviously, reading the game, reading my strengths have worked for me in the past as well. Keeping all of those things in mind, I keep going forward,” Bumrah said on Wednesday after his 4/39 in India’s eight-wicket win over Afghanistan.
Pakistan are high on confidence after chasing down a daunting 345-run target successfully the other night versus Sri Lanka. Bumrah thus will again have a vital role to play, especially against the arch-rivals’ in-form batters.
But what bodes really well for the linchpin of India’s bowling attack is being aware of the areas of focus rather than thinking too much about the opponents. “See, every team will have batsmen. Every team will have bowlers. We also have batsmen, we also have bowlers, and we’re not preparing anything special for any special team.
“Yes, we’re looking at ourselves more than the others because we’ve realised that if we focus on our team, we focus on our strengths as everything else then takes care of itself. So yeah, we are focusing on our team and our preparation.
“If everything that’s there is in our control, that gives us the best chance. So, that’s what our team is focusing on,” Bumrah emphasised.
Saturday’s much-awaited clash will also be Bumrah’s first-ever ODI appearance at his home ground, also giving him the chance to meet his mother after quite some time. “I played a Test match (in early 2021 against England) there.
“So yeah, the atmosphere is going to be exciting and I’m sure a lot of people are going to come. It will be a sight to see. So yeah, hoping for the best over there,” Bumrah said.
