Jasprit Bumrah, India’s pace sensation, has not only been turning heads with his wicket-taking prowess but has also introduced a new ‘temple point’ celebration catching the cricketing world’s attention at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Bumrah’s journey in the World Cup is a remarkable comeback story. He has made a sensational return after a prolonged injury layoff, immediately impacting this year’s Cricket World Cup with eight wickets in India’s opening three matches.
Currently, Bumrah is honored to have the equal most wickets in the tournament with New Zealand’s Mitch Santner and Matt Henry. His performance has been pivotal to India’s success in the competition.
One of the most captivating aspects of Bumrah’s performance has been his unique ‘temple point’ celebration. This celebration has drawn comparisons to one England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford used.
In a conversation with ICC Digital Insider Tanvi Shah, Bumrah revealed the inspiration behind the celebration. “I had no intentions of making it viral or spreading it everywhere,” he said. “It just came to my mind. I’d seen Rashford do it as well. I thought it was cool. There’s no particular big backstory behind it. Usually, I’m too tired to celebrate. But that is one occasion where I did celebrate.”
Bumrah’s impact was evident from the start of the tournament. He took six wickets in the matches against Australia and Afghanistan. During the match against Afghanistan, Bumrah unveiled the iconic celebration after dismissing opener Ibrahim Zadran.
In the high-stakes encounter against Pakistan, Bumrah played a pivotal role. He was entrusted with taking the new ball and skillfully tied down openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique. However, his real magic came when Pakistan was on the ropes, and he claimed the key wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan with sizzling deliveries. His figures of 2/19 earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Bumrah’s excellence has been instrumental in India’s dominating performances in the Cricket World Cup. India has convincingly won their opening three matches as they strive to reclaim the trophy they last won in 2011.
Bumrah emphasized the team’s approach: “We’re not thinking about the momentum. The team is right now thinking about recovery. We’ve played three games back-to-back, and the result has been good because our preparation has been good. The team vibe is also good. People are pretty relaxed. They’re looking to execute; they’re looking to have fun with each other. It’s a good place to be now.”
