Pakistan-born pace bowler Zahoor Khan, who plays for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in international cricket, has recently made startling claims about Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and captain Rohit Sharma.
Zahoor Khan in an interview with an Indian sports website revealed that he joined the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians as a net bowler during the 2020 edition, which was played in Dubai.
During that time, Zahoor rubbed shoulders with players like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
“I was with Mumbai Indians for three months. I’ve spent a reasonable amount of time with Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah,” he said.
The right-handed pacer shared that Bumrah praised his slower deliveries and even asked him about how to bowl them with perfection.
“Bumrah really liked me and even asked me about my bowling grip. He asked, ‘How do you bowl this slower ball?‘ This was a huge moment for me because he’s the No. 1 bowler in the world, and he asked me for advice,” Zahoor shared with excitement.
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He also praised Bumrah for his ability to bowl yorkers with the new ball and shared that he also asked the Indian bowler for tips.
“I explained it to him [about the slower ball], but I also asked him how he manages to bowl yorkers with the new ball, as there are only two people in the world who can do it — Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah,” he added.
Zahoor Khan also shared that he also bowled to Mumbai Indians’ then-captain Rohit Sharma and left him baffled with his slower deliveries.
“I even bowled to Rohit Sharma. Once I bowled him a slower ball, and he kept on looking because the ball hardly reached him,” he stated
“He couldn’t pick my deliveries. He was like how can it be so slow? Then I bowled to him again, and he said, ‘Even if the batter picks your delivery, it will never go for a six.'”
Zahoor has represented the UAE in 62 ODIs and 57 T20Is, taking a total of 165 wickets.
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