As Mumbai Indians commence their IPL campaign against Chennai Super Kings from 19th September, Jasprit Bumrah will be raring to return to the field.

The fast bowler was the leading wicket-taker for MI in the previous season where he picked 19 wickets. All set to lead the pace-attack this season, Bumrah has left no stone unturned in his preparations over the last few months despite the lockdown.

The No.2 ranked ODI bowler shared his training routine at home, reminisced his performances with the red ball in international cricket, spoke about a return to competitive cricket with the IPL and bowling in tandem with Trent Boult for MI in a detailed interview.

Here are some of the excerpts from his interview with Times Of India:

I got to spend quality time in my house

Bumrah revealed that as soon as the South African series and IPL got cancelled, he took a well deserved break before returning to routine workouts at home. He admitted that it was the longest break he got since 2013 and made full use of it by spending time with his family.

“Initially, as soon as the series against South Africa got called off, I took a break for probably around 15-20 days and did nothing. Then I gradually returned to my routine workouts at home, slowly started working on my body. One of the things I realised was this would be the best time for me to work on aspects that need time and space - also the mental aspect. I thought of ways in which I could make the best of this opportunity. Ever since 2013, I never got this kind of time to spend with my family, so you can imagine what a treat these months were. I got to spend quality time in my new house, spend time with my mom. It was so good to take some time off and reflect on what has happened so far." 

The lockdown allowed me to concentrate on a bit of muscle building

With the lockdown imposed and restrictions, training became a huge issue for many athletes. Bumrah slated that his decent eating habits helped him maintain his weight even without training. He was aware that once the cricketing season began, the schedule was likely to be hectic.

“I'm usually on the leaner side, and don't tend to put on weight easily. So, the lockdown allowed me to concentrate on a bit of muscle building. I anyway have decent eating habits and stay away from junk food. As a teenager, I ate whatever I wanted and used to get away with it. But ever since I turned professional, I've been very wary of what I consume. The main aspect of my training at home was to get my muscle-mass up. I realised that once this (lockdown) would end, the schedule would once again become very hectic because a lot of cricket is not happening and at some point, they'll try to cover up for this.”

Lockdown made me realise how much I enjoy playing this game

Once the restrictions eased off, Bumrah was back to training at empty grounds. The cricketer spoke in detail about how he worked upon different aspects and improvised. He remarked that the feeling of bowling after so long made him realize how much he enjoyed playing cricket.

“Once the partial lifting of lockdown happened, whatever access I had to open ground, I made use of it - except there would be nobody else. So, it was like a small kid playing alone in a park. A month of bowling on a single wicket can teach you a lot of things. You tend to think more about how you're running in, the angles at which your arm is coming down, sticking to a line, etc. For instance, figuring things that were not going for me, working on them, going back to a lot of basics. Bowling stump to stump can sound boring but it's a great teacher. Bowling yorkers without a batsman facing it. I just enjoyed doing these things. Lockdown made me realise how much I enjoy playing this game.”

I used to have regular interactions with my physio, trainer, etc

The fast bowler was in constant touch with his physios, coaches, etc as he trained in his own capacity. He even discussed his longevity as a bowler and worked on how to prolong his career. However, it was only when outdoor training began that he could work upon his art better.

“I used to have regular interactions with my physio, trainer, some senior cricketers, discuss multiple aspects of what was working and what wasn't, etc. One of the major points of conversation was about how we prolong our career once cricket begins. It went very well. We would get on calls to discuss various things. Then, once we started hitting the ground for outdoor training, every second week, we would be sharing details of how things are going, what has it been like etc. It's when you start training that watching videos help.”

Returning to the T20 format will be relatively easier than returning to Tests

The fact that most of the Indian cricketers will be making a comeback to competitive cricket after six long months with the shortest format must surely be a comforting thought. While Bumrah remarked that players were glad to get just back to playing cricket, he agreed that returning to T20 cricket is much easier compared to Tests.

“I don't think anybody would be focusing on the format right now. Everybody just wants to return to the game. But yes, I agree. Returning to the T20 format will be relatively easier than returning to play the Tests immediately. You would need a little more preparation time for Tests. When you prepare for a Test, your body would have to be able to take the workload of 18-20 overs a day. For that, you need to bowl around 15 overs in the nets during training too. If there's a spike in workload, then chances of injuries also potentially increase.”

2018 was full of new experiences

During India’s tour of South Africa back in 2018, Bumrah marked his run-up in the whites for the first time at Cape Town. His maiden Test wicket was AB de Villiers as the right-arm pacer found his inside edge and hit the off-stump. He accounted for the Proteas star batsman in the second innings as well. Ever since then, it has been a fairytale journey for the fast bowler who stormed into the Top 10 ICC Tests rankings within two years.

“The cricket journey so far has been very good. I have been very grateful for it and consider myself lucky. But yes, the part of me reliving those moments and processing it inside my mind is a continuous process. 2018 was full of new experiences. In South Africa, the realisation that you need to bowl back of length. In England, I had never realised the Duke ball swings so much, does so much. I had never played in such conditions before. I had only played shorter formats in the UK and the white ball doesn't do much. Then I injured my thumb. All those instances helped me learn bit by bit.”

I try to carry the Perth Test mindset everywhere

It was in Down Under two summers ago where Bumrah displayed his prominence with the ball. He picked 21 wickets at an astounding average of 17 and ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the tour. The world witnessed his domination at MCG where he had figures of 6/33 & 3/53. However, Bumrah feels that he bowled better in Perth. The Indian team is scheduled to tour Australia after the conclusion of IPL.

“One very important reason why any cricketer always looks forward to touring Australia is that you know nothing will come easy. In certain situations, I thought I was bowling well. At Perth, for instance, I felt it was the fastest that I ever bowled. I felt like I was bowling at 155, 158. But in Perth, I did not get a lot of wickets. So, what has 2018 taught me - just keep doing the right things, sometimes things will click, sometimes you'll have to wait longer. Results will come. I remember saying this in the press conference after the Perth Test that it was probably the best I had ever bowled then, even if the wickets didn't come as expected. Wickets came in the next Test, at MCG. In hindsight, I bowled better at Perth, I got better results at MCG. At the end of the day, your account will get tallied. I try to carry the Perth mindset everywhere. Keep doing what you do, results will follow. When I start again, I will once again go back to doing the same things. Hard work never goes in vain.”

MS Dhoni gave me a lot of freedom

The 26-year old made his international debut under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Bumrah narrated an incident where he impressed the then skipper with his death bowling skills and got into his good books

“At a personal level, I made my debut (Sydney, 2016) under him and he gave me a lot of confidence. Not many people know that Mahi bhai had never seen me bowl, at any level. In my debut game, I was going to bowl in the death overs and I asked him 'can I bowl yorkers?' and he was like 'no, don't bowl yorkers'. He thought since it was a difficult delivery, I wouldn't be able to pull it off. I told him 'in death overs, I don't know what else to do'. So, anyway, I went ahead and did my thing and then he came to me and was like "I didn't know this at all. You should've come earlier, we would've won the whole series". Here was me, making a nervous debut and the captain telling me "you could've won us this series". He gave me a lot of freedom”

I’m looking forward to bowl with Trent Boult

The pressure of being the defending champions is always prevalent and Bumrah agreed that the expectations are always high. He also looked forward to bowling with Trent Boult for Mumbai Indians.

“When you play for a successful franchise, expectations will always be there. We have a very good team. There's Trent Boult that I'm looking forward to bowling with. Mumbai Indians have always looked to raise the bar.”