T20 World Cup: ‘We play the sport for this’, says Jasprit Bumrah on winning Player of the Tournament

Bridgetown (Barbados): In a format dominated by batsmen, the Indian cricket team’s journey to the ultimate glory was defined by its bowlers. The bowling lineup which consisted of Arshdeep, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav had Jasprit Bumraj leading the bowling attack.

Bumrah’s performance saw him become the first out-and-out bowler to be ever named the Player of the Tournament in an event of this stature. Following his impressive achievement, the right-arm pacer spoke to the broadcaster on how much the victory meant to him.

“I tried to keep calm. We play the sport for this, I am really over the moon, my son is here, family is here, and we’ve been working really hard towards this, no better feeling than that. We play sports to win on the big stages,” said the pacer from Gujarat.

“On the big day, you have to give more. Throughout the tournament, I felt very clear and calm. At my peak mindset, I think of one ball at a time. The emotions can take over, but now the job is done. That over, I thought length ball was the option, it was reverse-swinging, and I was glad to execute (it),” Bumrah told the reporters in the post-game conference.

Bumrah’s performance in the tournament was one of its kind as the 30-year-old took 15 wickets in eight games while maintaining an economy rate of 4.26 throughout the campaign. He was also the hero in the final of the tournament as he bowled an exceptional final over of his spell, the 18th of the innings, giving only two runs and dismissing Marco Jansen, getting a wicket when his team needed the most.

Captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged his premium fast bowler’s performance in the post-game interview.

“Jasprit, I understand you guys trying to put it into words, but I don’t know how he does it, it’s just a masterclass. He backs his skills which is more than enough and is a confident lad. Class act,” said Rohit Sharma while talking about his side.

–IANS