Jasprit Bumrah continues to torment Australia in their own territory, as he bowled India to victory in the first Test at Perth and began the pink-ball match in Adelaide in similar fashion with his unique action that legendary Aussie pacer Glenn McGrath once worked on.
Speaking on live commentary for ABC Sport, McGrath recalled when Bumrah had a stint at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, where the Australian serves as a director after he replaced Dennis Lillee in 2013.
"What aspect do you love the most about Bumrah?" McGrath was asked by veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle.
"He is just so unique in his (bowling) action, isn't he? The way he runs up. It's not something you'd teach young bowlers to do, but he's found a way. He ambles in, and then the last two steps, just powers through the crease, bowls in such great areas," said McGrath.
"He's quite hypermobile in his joints and sort of got a great wrist and very good control. The ball moves both ways. So he is a complete package."
Bumrah took a match-haul of eight wickets in Perth to give India a 1-0 series lead in the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Bhogle continued to pick the brains of the fast-bowling legend who played 124 Tests and took 563 wickets. "If you saw a 15-year-old Bumrah, would you try to correct him or would you let him be?" he asked McGrath.
"Well, you've got, whatever their natural ability is. I saw Jasprit when he was younger. He had good pace, but his action was completely different -- short run-up, came in, was bowling quick, but he had a massive jump out, and then he'd bowl," McGrath recalled.
He had advised Bumrah at that time to eliminate his jump.
"I sort of suggested it would be better if he went straight through the crease, but he couldn't do it. So he played like that. Then he had a problem with his knee. He sort of blew his knee out, whatever damage he did to it. When he came back, I think he had to train himself to go straight through the crease," said the 54-year-old Australian, who also played 250 ODIs and took 381 wickets.
"First let me say, I am not taking any credit whatsoever for that. But he had to re-train himself, which is tough. And now he goes straight through the crease with that arm right behind the ball. With that pace and skidding it into the stumps, he's definitely a handful."
