KL Rahul has said that most of the time when he is facing Bumrah in the nets, he is very cautious. He also said that if there are practice games, he would definitely not hit a flashy shot as he does not want to provoke Bumrah. He knows if the fast bowler is going to instantly resend with something even more difficult. With a very unusual bowling action, quick and sharp movement in both the off and leg side, and a target that is always spot on, Bumrah is an absolute terror for the batsmen in any form of international cricket as he is one of the greatest single generation all-format bowlers to have ever existed and as Rahul stated, it is just like that in the nets too, where he is equally intense.
When talking to the Humans of Bombay YouTube channel, Jatin Sapru told Rahul that he has done very well in the IPL when playing against Bumrah. The Indian batter at once dismissed it, half laughing and half showing that he is really worried, not wanting to be the reason for Bumrah’s next session of training to get intensified.
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"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.
In addition to that, Rahul was describing how difficult it is for someone to play against Bumrah even if they know him very well. He even went a step further to say that to identify the bowler from the action and the point of release is really hard and then to score off him is next to impossible.
"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.
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When asked whether Bumrah loses his temper if someone manages to hit him in the nets, Rahul responded, "Very, very angry. But first of all, it’s not easy to hit him in the net; very few people can do it."
He also said that the fast bowler takes it very seriously and treat it as a real fight if he ever hits a good shot off him in the middle of the practice session. When Rahul is facing too much for being too competitive and wants to soothe the atmosphere, he occasionally 'talks' by saying great things about Bumrah's skill with a smile.
"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.
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