Mumbai, March 6 (IANS) Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis heaped praise on Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, calling him a dream ‘superpower’ for any captain after the fast bowler played a decisive role in India’s thrilling semi-final win over England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
In a high-scoring contest, Bumrah stood out with the ball despite both teams crossing the 240-run mark, helping India seal a memorable 7-run victory and secure a place in the tournament final.
Praising Bumrah’s ability to deliver under pressure, du Plessis said, “Team India doesn’t understand how lucky they are to have him in their ranks. It is just proven time and time and time again, regardless of the format, you just give him the ball and he wins you games. It’s a superpower that any captain will dream of; it’s like having a genie, you just rub the lamp and out comes Bumrah,” Du Plessis told ESPNcricinfo.
In the run-fest where 499 runs were scored across both innings, Bumrah conceded just 33 runs at an economy rate of just 8.25 while picking up a crucial wicket. His disciplined spell came at key stages of England’s chase, with the pacer bowling in the fifth, 11th, 16th and 18th overs.
Du Plessis also highlighted how Bumrah’s unusual bowling action makes him extremely difficult for batters to read, even when he misses his intended length.
“That last over, they know it is going to be full, yorker or slower ball. That’s generally what you will be getting. And he bowled two low full tosses in the over, and both of those balls, Sam Curran was late on the ball. Any other bowler missing in length like that goes for six. Dube bowled that in the last over, and he gets pumped for six,” du Plessis said.
“His action is so unique that you struggle to pick up how quickly the ball comes out of his wrist. It’s a skill, but it is also to do with the mystery of his action, almost like what Lasith Malinga did back in the day. The point of difference makes it really hard to line him up in terms of if he misses,” the former South African player added.
Du Plessis further credited India captain Suryakumar Yadav for his effective use of Bumrah during the tense final phase of the match.
“He has got value all over the innings when he bowls, but the real superpower is the back-end when the game is on the line,” du Plessis said.
“And I thought today they used him perfectly; good captaincy, good leadership. When the game was about getting him into the mix and bring the run rate down and try and get wickets, they used him at the perfect overs. It is easy on the side, thinking no pressure, and I was like: spot-on captaincy,” he added.
India will now face New Zealand in their second consecutive T20 World Cup final to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
–IANS
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