The following is an extract from the book ‘Boom Effect: Decoding the Magic of Jasprit Bumrah’ by Aayush Puthran & Nicholas Brookes. As a teenager, Bumrah had not yet fully developed the iconic bowling action the world now recognizes. During his developmental phase, his non-bowling arm was largely unutilized, his jump was more exaggerated, and his alignment was heavily side-on. Teammates frequently remarked on the unorthodox nature of his delivery; one teammate described it as ‘pretty poor,’ while another noted he attempted to mimic Brett Lee’s ‘load-up’ but shifted his bowling arm so abruptly that the result appeared bizarre. Back then, his bowling arm didn’t straighten the way it. ‘It was even more weird, and as a result, even more difficult to pick,’ Juneja quips before demonstrating an action that seems more absurd than alarming. His non-bowling arm was not being put to use, such a reaction would have been perfectly reasonable: notwithstanding the questions around the legality of his action. Yet his assessment doesn’t seem entirely accurate, the coach believes that experience shaped Bumrah forever.
Footage from his age-group cricket days indicates that he possessed the ability to bowl with a more fluent, conventional run-up and arc, occasionally shattering stumps while playing for the Gujarat Under-19s. Despite this, his natural inclination remained towards the unique style that eventually defined his career. This strange action inevitably drew scrutiny. During his initial years in organized cricket, opposition batters often questioned the legitimacy of his deliveries, with some even openly asking, ‘how did this guy even get selected?’
Early Career Scrutiny and NCA Interventions
- National Cricket Academy (NCA) 2012: Coaches recorded his bowling and presented the footage to him, initiating debates on his technique.
- Institutional Pressure: Multiple coaches and staff members suggested he remodel his action, fearing long-term injury risks and doubting the legitimacy of his release.
- Dietary Discipline: Beyond technical coaching, staff mandated strict fitness and diet regimens to replace his affinity for fast food, including burgers and pizzas, to bolster his physical strength.
The first major confrontation regarding his mechanics occurred at a 2012 NCA camp in Bengaluru. According to teammate Kalaria, coaches actively attempted to tinker with his bowling. ‘Jassi was very clear with the fact that he wanted to stick to his natural action,’ Kalaria recalls. An anonymous NCA coach corroborated this, stating they initially urged him to remodel his action because it was awkward. The coach admitted, ‘The remodelled action looked good enough for the coaches, but the ball simply wasn’t coming out right.’ Consequently, they opted to allow him to continue with his natural approach, despite ongoing internal debates regarding his potential for injury. The coaches at the NCA sat down with physios and the strength-and-conditioning trainers to figure out if the action was sustainable. Somehow, this inexperienced youngster knew his method was right.
The skepticism was not limited to training camps.
During a specific Under-19 match, Gujarat captain Smit Patel alleged that the match referee voiced concerns about Bumrah’s action. He claims to have brushed those concerns aside.
Though the match referee allegedly instructed Patel not to bowl Bumrah in the second innings, the issue remained unresolved.
Furthermore, Somnath Jha, one of the on-field umpires for that match, remembers the game vividly—notably because he was officiating alongside the late Vilas Bandiwadekar—but explicitly denied that he raised any formal suspicion regarding a ‘chucking’ action during play.
In response to such pressures, team management often requested that Bumrah bowl in long sleeves to mitigate visible concerns from opponents.
Bumrah’s refusal to conform was rooted in a profound, unshakeable self-belief. Even when faced with warnings that his action could lead to severe injury, he treated such risks as an inherent part of the sport. His coaches at the time, including those at the MRF Pace Academy, realized that his dogmatic commitment to his natural mechanics was a reflection of the success he had already achieved in local circuits. For the young fast bowler, the absence of pain or physical discomfort provided sufficient validation to continue. The input from that conversation was that Bumrah would have to be ‘exceptionally strong’ in order to be able to bowl fast for extended periods of time. We told him, you really need to give up on these things and follow a strict diet regime in order to become strong,’ the coach added. Suggesting it could be illegal, kishore admits that a few kids in his academy brought Bumrah’s action to his notice.
The unique action that the world sees today is essentially a collection of techniques Bumrah observed and imitated from various bowlers during his youth. His stuttering run-up, for instance, was born out of circumstance, having evolved from a more standard approach into the specific rhythm that makes him difficult to read. He never sought to design a ‘revolutionary’ style; rather, he prioritized what felt effective and natural to him. This singular focus on his own internal feedback loop allowed him to rise through the ranks despite the persistent interference of those who sought to normalize his technique. Including the odd left-armer, his attempt to model his own action on Brett Lee’s was comically unsuccessful, considering Bumrah made a habit of imitating other bowlers. Apparently, there are plenty of biomechanical experts out there who instantly understood the nature of Bumrah’s hyperextension despite never having seen anything like it. Hop and show-horse gallop, that revelation led him to his own unique approach: the jumbled walk. Too, who had reasonable responses for their lack of apprehension, there were others.
Publication and Additional Information
- Book Title: The Boom Effect: Decoding the Magic of Jasprit Bumrah
- Authors: Aayush Puthran & Nicholas Brookes
- Availability: Now available for purchase via Flipkart, Amazon, and leading bookstores.
Ultimately, the efforts to reshape Bumrah’s action failed because the bowler possessed a level of mental fortitude that transcended typical coaching feedback. While many coaches believed they were ‘correcting’ a flawed mechanism, they were inadvertently attempting to standardize a player whose primary strength lay in the very irregularity they aimed to remove. His journey from a suspicious, unconventional teenager to a global pace master highlights the tension between classical coaching wisdom and the raw, individualistic expression of talent.
The skepticism he encountered early on—accusations of cheating and persistent demands to change—could have derailed a lesser talent. Instead, these challenges served as a crucible. By insisting on his natural action, Bumrah managed to retain the deceptive qualities that make his bowling so lethal today. His refusal to be ‘fixed’ remains one of the most compelling aspects of his rise to the top of the international game. All he knew was that it served a purpose. Their biggest backer is Bumrah, who has publicly confessed that no coach tried to change his action, as ludicrous as it sounds. After all, it is a compilation of the greatest hits he saw on TV, honed in an open-air parking lot. Pancholi’s reason for accepting Bumrah’s action early on is stranger.
