Former spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that no bowler apart from retired Lasith Malinga can match Jasprit Bumrah’s ability to single-handedly win matches for his team and hence the Indian pace spearhead continues to be an IPL superstar. are Bumrah lived up to his reputation by sharing the purple cap with Yuzvendra Chahal with a five-wicket haul against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in an IPL match here on Thursday night. Harbhajan expressed surprise at his performance and said that the audacious bowler is unparalleled. (IPL 2024 Points Table)

“To see him bowl from day one and today, there’s a huge difference. He’s been a great learner of the game…. He wants to learn every day, even if he gets five wickets today, he’ll get five wickets tomorrow. Harbhajan told Star Sports on ‘Cricket Live’, he will watch videos of himself and see where he can improve.

“And he is very calm, composed. When it comes to pressure, nobody does it better than he does. People often talk about Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, because it is a batsmen’s game. But, if you talk about the superstars of the world sport, he is by far the superstar of the IPL in my opinion.

“He wins games on his day, like nothing. So, how many batsmen have done that?” he asked.

The only bowler who comes close to Bumrah’s brilliance is Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga, who happens to be the bowling coach of his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.

“If you count, like three to four batsmen, but if you look at the bowlers, there’s only Bumrah or Malinga in the whole format. So, unbelievable. So, the bottom line is that he wants to learn. And he wants to get better every day.

“And he’s still very humble, very quiet, and very, very hardworking… That’s a great lesson for all young people. When you’re practicing, practice like you’re playing a game. ” he pointed out.

Harbhajan was also effusive in his praise for Suryakumar Yadav, who scored a half-century on Thursday and heralded a return to form after battling injury over the past three months.

“When Suryakumar Yadav shines, you don’t want to see anyone. When I see this guy, I think he is a better version of AB de Villiers… If I was part of any team, he would It would have been my first choice if it came up for auction,” he said.

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)