Not Ravindra Jadeja! MS Dhoni Picks 30-Year-Old Star As His Current Favourite Bowler – WATCH

Legendary Indian cricketer and former captain MS Dhoni has picked star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah as his current favourite bowler. The 30-year-old Bumrah, who made his international debut for India under Dhoni’s captaincy in 2016 against Australia, has been in red-hot form these days. The Ahmedabad-born cricketer helped India win the 2024 edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and for his super show with the ball, he also won the Player of the Tournament award.

During a recent event, Dhoni was asked about his current favourite bowler and current favourite batter, and while he took no time to pick Bumrah as the favourite bowler, he skipped the batter.

“Bowler ka aasan hai. Bumrah is there. Batsman main thoda mushkil ho jata. Itne aache batsman hai hamare pas. Iska matlab ye nahi ki bowler kharab hai. Just bol raha hu pick karna mushkil ho jata. Jisko batting karte dekho yahi hai, isko hi dekhna hai, but then somebody else comes and vo bhi utna hi acha lagta. Jab tak Team India achi karte rahegi, I don’t want to pick a batter. Hopefully, they keep scoring runs. Bowler meine ek pick kar liya (Bowlers, it is easy. Jasprit Bumrah is there. It is tough with batsmen. We have so many good batsmen. That does not mean bowlers are not good. Just saying, it is tough. Whoever I watch, it feels great, but then somebody else comes and he seems as good. Till Team India is doing well, I do not want to pick. Hopefully, they keep scoring runs. However, I have picked one bowler,” said Dhoni at an event.

Bumrah suffered a back injury in July 2022 during the India-England ODI series, because of which he was out of action for more than a year. The star pacer made his comeback during the India-Ireland T20Is in August 2023, and since then, he has been in red-hot form. He picked up 20 wickets in 11 matches of the ODI World Cup last year and then finished with 15 wickets in 8 matches of the T20 World Cup 2024.

During the India-England Test series earlier this year, Bumrah impressed with his bowling in the 2nd Test, after which he reached the No. 1 position in the Test rankings. The right-arm pacer is the first and only bowler in the world to reach the No. 1 position in all three formats of the game.

He has been rested for India’s ongoing white-ball tour of Sri Lanka but will be seen in action during the two-match Test series between India and Bangladesh in September.