I enjoy bowling most with Duke balls – Jasprit Bumrah

India’s ace paceman Jasprit Bumrah has revealed that he prefers bowling most with the Duke ball, which is used in the English conditions. Bumrah reckons Duke ball provides most assistance to a fast bowler among all the three balls. The gun fast bowler added that the Duke ball swings and seams which keeps a bowler interested.

In fact, it is well known that the seam of the Duke ball lasts longer than Kookaburra or the SG ball, which is used in India. Bumrah feels it evens out the contest if there is assistance for the bowlers and everybody likes to see an equal contest between bat and ball.

Meanwhile, it is noticed that the game has been titled in favour of the batsman and the bowlers need some help to trouble them. On the other hand, the English conditions also help in swinging the ball especially in the first hour of play.

“I love bowling with Dukes. It seams, it swings, so basically you have a little bit of help, otherwise it is difficult to be a fast bowler with grounds getting shorter and wickets getting flatter,” Bumrah said during the interaction with Ian Bishop and Shaun Pollock on the ICC video series Inside Out.

“So if the ball does something, it evens out the competition. So you feel you are in the game. With no help, you only have few things to play with. So I enjoy bowling most with Duke’s ball.”

Jasprit Bumrah only had a potent inswinger when he came on the scene and he would angle the ball into the right-hander from wide of the crease. Consequently, it was vital for him to develop an outswinger to enrich his deadly arsenal. Bumrah has been able to work on his outswinger as he added that it is imperative to keep improving one’s game to stay ahead of the opposition.

“I always want to bring new things. My different action, maybe once or twice people will be surprised, but they will find you out. So you need to improve and keep on evolving.

“So I had the outswinger but when I came into the international set-up, I wasn’t confident about it. Maybe it wasn’t coming out well, maybe it was the pace. You should have the feel of it. Slowly, you work on it in the nets. In the West Indies, the ball (Dukes with a pronounced seam) was helpful, conditions were helpful,” he said.

Jasprit Bumrah has an insatiable hunger to keep improving himself and he is expected to reach the top of the pedestal. Bumrah has had a great start to his Test career as he has scalped 68 wickets in 14 Test matches at an average of 19.73.

Bumrah has an awkward action and it is not easy for the batsman to pick him up. Moreover, Bumrah can swing and seam the ball at great speed, which makes him one of the best fast bowlers of the current era.