Bumrah redeems himself, all over again

Jasprit Bumrah knows a thing or two about learning from mistakes.

Saurabh Tiwary had only made four runs and was finding it hard to time the ball properly. He then played a lazy pull shot against a short delivery into his body from Mitchell McCleneghan, mistimed it, and watched the ball loop towards Bumrah at wide mid on.

For some reason Bumrah decided to leap into the air when the ball was actually coming straight into his hands. The ball bounced off his hands, and he could not save face even with a despairing dive to catch it on the second attempt.

Three balls later he messed up once again, failing to make a simple interception from a Steven Smith pull. McCleneghan was livid, sweat pouring from his face, but he checked his emotions as the camera followed him closely. Bumrah wore a sheepish smile.

It was the same sheepish smile he had on his face having dropped Tamim Iqbal early on in India's World T20 match against Bangladesh. But while he was all butterfingers in the first half hour of that game, Bumrah was all calm and focused in its tense closing stages, delivering yorkers at will in the penultimate over to keep India in the match and Bangladesh on the edge.

MS Dhoni had commented then that Bumrah had learned about pressure for the first time proper. On Sunday, the scenario was similar. After his fielding lapses, Tiwary hit two straight boundaries in Bumrah's first over as the fast bowler faltered with his length. By the time he came back to bowl the 10th over of the Rising Pune Supergiants innings, Smith had created mayhem, and 200 seemed a realistic target.

First ball of the over, Bumrah dealt with Tiwary's charge down the pitch with a slower ball into the batsman's legs. He then surprised Smith with a fast, short ball on a fourth-stump line. The Australian committed to a late dab, but was surprised by the bounce and edged to the keeper.

Only two came off that over, and the runs continued to dry up thereafter, boundaries becoming scarce as Mumbai controlled the middle overs. Peter Handscomb was out for 6 off 12 balls, and Tiwary had begun to tire.

But the spectre of Dhoni's slog-overs skills remained. First ball of the 17th over, he moved across swiftly when Tim Southee, delivering from around the stumps, pitched a short ball down the leg side, and helped it past short fine leg for four. Eleven came off that over. Rohit brought back Bumrah immediately, to bowl the 18th and 20th overs.

Tiwary by now had gone past fifty. His last IPL half-century had come in 2013 when he was playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Back then, oppositions feared Tiwary's bludgeoning skills. He has been more sedate this season, and now he was lucky to still be at the crease.

Bumrah began his third over with 117kph slower ball, which Tiwary tried to loft over long on but did not middle. He was lucky there was no one at midwicket. Next ball Bumrah pulled his length back and cut his pace to 103kph. The tiring Tiwary could not find the power to clear deep midwicket and hit it straight to Hardik Pandya. Bumrah then punched Thisara Perera in his ribs with a 119 kph slower ball that left the Sri Lankan allrounder bending over in pain after he had swung too early at the ball. Only seven runs came off that over.

Dhoni was stranded at the non-striker's end in the 19th over, with McCleneghan teasing Perera by going around the wicket and slanting wide yorkers away from the batsman. Supergiants began the final over 148 for 4. Bumrah had the ball. Coming on strike to the second ball, Dhoni might have expected a yorker, but Bumrah delivered a fast, back-of-a-length ball on off stump, and Dhoni pulled it straight to the fielder in the deep.

To show this kind of bowling intellect at 22 is unusual, but Bumrah is making it a habit. He has variations - the yorkers, the slower deliveries, the bouncers - but the key is when he uses each of those deliveries, and how he mixes them up. This is how he continues to hold an edge over the batsmen.

Bumrah later said Mumbai coach Ricky Ponting had told the team to maintain their body language when they took the first strategic time-out, at a time when Supergiants were cruising. Bumrah came back stronger and dismissed Smith. Harbhajan Singh said Bumrah showed a lot of responsibility by removing Smith, and that dismissal transformed every one of Mumbai's bowlers.

On Sunday Bumrah showed presence of mind to recover from his early mistakes, utilise his variations, and quieten the opposition. He began the match as its worst fielder, and finished it by climbing to second on the tournament's list of top wicket-takers.