Cheteshwar Pujara has peeled back the curtain on Jasprit Bumrah’s personality beyond the boundary, offering a delightful glimpse into the pacer’s off-field quirks and quiet charm. In a candid conversation with the BBC, Pujara reminisced about Bumrah’s early days in the Indian Test setup, particularly during their 2018 England tour. One anecdote stood out—Bumrah’s sheer reluctance to join the team’s FIFA video game sessions.
Pujara, who has spent countless hours with Bumrah on overseas tours, revealed how the core gaming group—himself, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Wriddhiman Saha—would often gather around the PlayStation for some FIFA action. However, convincing Bumrah to participate was no easy task.
“He’s not much of a gamer,” Cheteshwar Pujara chuckled. “In fact, we had to joke that we wouldn’t take any catches off his bowling if he didn’t join us.” It wasn’t until that memorable 2018 tour to England that Bumrah began to warm up, both to gaming and to the demands of Test cricket.
ALSO READ: Salman Butt Challenges India’s Cricketing Stand After WCL 2025 Fallout
That tour proved to be a turning point in Bumrah’s red-ball journey. Despite it being only his second Test series, he picked up 14 wickets in just three matches. From there, the lanky fast bowler transformed into India’s pace spearhead, amassing 217 Test wickets at a staggering average of 19.49. But Pujara believes there’s more to Bumrah than just unorthodox angles and searing pace.
The veteran batter highlighted Bumrah’s intelligence as a defining trait—something that even made him a strong captaincy candidate before Shubman Gill was chosen. “Most pacers prefer to rest after a spell, but Bumrah? He stays glued to the action,” Cheteshwar Pujara explained. “I used to sit beside him, and he’d always be observing—what the opposition is planning, what our batters could do better. That’s what sets him apart.”
ALSO READ: Harbhajan Singh Reveals Bishan Bedi’s Disapproval Of His Bowling Style
According to Pujara, Bumrah’s cricketing acumen stems largely from his IPL experience, particularly under the tutelage of Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga. “He has a brilliant cricketing brain. He knows how to outthink a batter. While his instinct is always to bowl his best ball, he’s equally aware of each batter’s strengths and weaknesses. That’s what has made him a complete Test bowler.”
As the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy heads into its crucial fourth Test at Manchester, India trails England 2-1. Bumrah, having featured in the first two Tests, remains central to India’s hopes of a comeback. While Shubman Gill continues to lead the side, the silent tactician in Bumrah remains a vital figure—on the field and, as Pujara suggests, quietly from behind the scenes too.
