India batsman KL Rahul has shared insights about facing Jasprit Bumrah in cricket nets and his successful IPL record against the pacer. When informed about his impressive IPL statistics against Bumrah, Rahul responded with humour, expressing concern about potential consequences in future practice sessions.
“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 during an interview on the Humans of Bombay YouTube channel.The statistics reveal that Rahul has faced Bumrah in 14 IPL innings, accumulating 146 runs from 118 deliveries. He has hit four sixes and 13 fours against the pacer, maintaining a strike rate of 123.7. Bumrah has managed to dismiss Rahul only twice in their IPL encounters.Rahul discussed Bumrah’s intense approach during practice sessions, noting that very few batters can successfully hit him in the nets.“Very, very angry. But first of all, it’s not easy to hit him in the net; very few people can do it,” he explained.The Delhi Capitals batsman emphasized the challenge of facing Bumrah, even for players familiar with his bowling style. “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 primarily -defend against him, then to even think of scoring against him becomes that much more harder,” Rahul shared.Rahul revealed his strategy for handling Bumrah’s competitive nature during practice sessions, explaining how he manages to calm the pacer down.“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 explained.Both players have recently been active in international cricket. Bumrah claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.Rahul contributed 39 runs in the first innings of the same match. However, India failed to chase down a target of 124 on a challenging pitch, losing by 30 runs.The two cricketers will return to action in the second Test match starting November 22 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, as India attempt to level the two-Test series.
