When Jasprit Bumrah stood at the top of his mark for the Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals in this year’s Indian Premier League, he was the most complete all-format bowler in history. With a whiplash action that explodes from a staccato run-up like a stick of dynamite from unraveling silk, he fires searing yorkers and steepling bouncers at will. Three balls later, he was the setup for the story’s real protagonist.
Before this moment, Bumrah, winner of five IPLs and two World Cups, had delivered 5,445 balls in T20 cricket for Mumbai and his country. Only 180 of them were sent sailing over the rope for six. That’s a maximum, to use the parlance of the day, every five overs. Since 2013 he has been a walking cheat code, the point of difference in almost every game. None of that seemed to matter to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
