'We missed Jasprit Bumrah so much in last T20 World Cup, this is just the beginning' - Mohammad Kaif lauds star pacer after NY heroics vs PAK

The cricket fraternity has been in awe of Jasprit Bumrah after the Indian pacer's bag of tricks floored Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller at the Nassau Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday, June 9. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif mentioned how much Bumrah's services were missed by the Men in Blue in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022.

For the unversed, Bumrah suffered a stress fracture on his back just one month before the 2022 World Cup and had to undergo surgery. He has been in scintillating form since his comeback last year and is breathing fire in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup. After finishing with figures of 2/6 in three overs against Ireland, Bumrah sizzled in the high-voltage India-Pakistan clash, as his match-winning spell of 3/14 helped Rohit Sharma's men defend a paltry 120-run target.

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Kaif was effusive in his praise for the 30-year-old and said that his spell in the latter half of the Pakistan innings was the turning point.

“This is just the beginning. We talked about this last time in the World Cup. We missed him so much in 2022. Bumrah comes and this is the turning point. Batsman was set and he was planning to hit a six. He missed the catch on the first ball. Rizwan likes to cut and pull,” said Kaif on Star Sports.

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The cricketer-turned-commentator said that Bumrah knows exactly when to use his variations and also pointed out how the speedster plotted the downfall of the dangerous Iftikhar Ahmed in the penultimate over of the second innings.

“Bumrah knows exactly which ball to hit. Batsman doesn't know where to hit the ball. He hit the ball in front and got up there and caught Iftikhar with his speed. He must have been disappointed. He could have hit the ball at a good height. But this is Bumrah's class. If we look at Bumrah's last over, he is hitting a slower bouncer. He is also hitting a yorker. He is hitting an on-pace ball. Batsman doesn't know which ball is coming. Bumrah knows exactly how to play in a death over,” he added.