This incident happened to Bumrah and the bowling coach during the Australian tour in 2019.After taking a five-wicket haul in the third test Bumrah in Melbourne. Bumrah with the Indian team went to Sydney for the final test match. The Indian bowler took a glance at the pitch which looked dull. He went to Bharat Arun, the bowling coach, to discuss his plans.
Bumrah said that
“‘I am very jaded, Sir, physically exhausted and mentally drained, That’s where I am at, personally. There’s nothing at stake so far as the series is concerned. The track is docile. It’s more or less certain that this game will end in a draw?’. ‘So what I will do, Sir is I’ll bowl a little slowly. I won’t go flat out. I’ll bowl well within myself and take out this Test,'”
In his book “Coaching Beyond” R Sridhar highlighted and appreciated the listening skill of bowling coaching. He told that Arun’s biggest strength is his willingness to listen to the players. He did the same when Bumrah approached him.
Arun said to Bumrah that
“You can take it easy and bowl well within yourself. You can bowl at 130-32 kmph, just finish playing this Test, then fly back home to recover and get ready for the World Cup. But in doing so, what may happen is you may end up giving the batter the confidence that he has played you well. You have bowled slowly; you have controlled your pace because you didn’t want to exert your body and mind. But the batter doesn’t know that.”
So, if you bowl like that and if a player like Shaun Marsh or Marnus Labuschagne plays you out, he will actually get the confidence to do it again. He’s going to go one-up over you. So, tomorrow, in another match, even when you are bowling flat out, he will think, “I have played him well, I have that mental edge over him.” That will give him the confidence to play you better even if you’re bowling at your best. He will get accustomed to you.”
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