KL Rahul admitted that facing Jasprit Bumrah in the nets is an experience most batters approach with caution. He revealed that during practice games, he avoids playing any flamboyant shots that might provoke Bumrah, knowing it could quickly come back to haunt him.
Widely seen as the finest all-format bowler of this era, Bumrah’s unique action, sharp movement both ways and relentless accuracy make him a nightmare for the opposition batters. While Rahul suggested that it’s the same with him in the nets, where he bowls with the same intensity.
In a conversation on the Humans of Bombay YouTube channel, when host Jatin Sapru mentioned Rahul’s strong IPL numbers against Bumrah, the India batter quickly downplayed it – partly out of humour, partly out of fear – not wanting to invite any fiery payback from the speedster in the next nets session.
“I will not agree because he’ll break my head in the next net. He’ll break my head or break my toe in the next session. So, I’m not saying anything. No comments,” Rahul said.
When asked whether Bumrah gets angry if someone hits him in the nets, Rahul replied, “Very, very angry. But first of all, it’s not easy to hit him in the net; very few people can do it.”
Rahul opened up on Bumrah’s sheer difficulty for batters, explaining that even familiar players struggle against him. He highlighted how the star bowler’s action, release point, and skill make defending or scoring against him a daunting challenge.
“He’s the hardest bowler to hit, to hit for sure. Now I think at least we play him day in and day out, so you’re used to his action and release point a little bit, but if you’re just facing him as an opposition from a different country it’s just very difficult to pick him firstly -defend against him, then to even think of scoring against him becomes that much more harder,” the Indian batter added.
“I play that card with him…”: KL Rahul on facing Bumrah
The Indian opener also shared that whenever he plays a solid shot off Bumrah in the nets, the bowler becomes noticeably more intense, ready to up the contest. Rahul often has to lighten the mood by joking about Bumrah’s brilliance, easing the tension in the nets.
“Vo toh daant peesta hi rehta hai (He keeps grinding their teeth all the time), every time where you can see his face and his nerves and everything, just like, you know, he’s ready for a fight… Sometimes you have to tell him, Bumrah, same team bro, it’s okay. Wickets from nets won’t get counted, so then he laughs. I play that card with him saying, “Boss, you’re unplayable, you’re just too good, don’t worry, bowl slowly,” Rahul concluded.
Bumrah recently took a five-wicket haul in the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens, yet India fell short as their batters struggled against the visiting spinners, crumbled under pressure while chasing a relatively modest total.