NEW DELHI: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis heaped glowing praise on India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah after the fast bowler’s decisive spell helped India edge past England by seven runs in the semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium.
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Calling Bumrah a match-winner across formats, du Plessis said having him in the team was “like having a genie”.
India had earlier piled up a massive 253/7 riding on a stunning 42-ball 89 from Sanju Samson. But England threatened to chase it down thanks to a sensational hundred from Jacob Bethell.
With England needing 45 runs from the last three overs and momentum on their side, the match swung dramatically when captain Suryakumar Yadav handed the ball to Bumrah for the crucial 18th over.
In a game where bowlers had been hammered all around the park, Bumrah conceded just six runs, effectively turning the tide. England eventually finished at 246/7, falling agonisingly short despite Bethell’s 105.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, du Plessis said India might not fully realise how fortunate they are to have a bowler like Bumrah.
“Team India don’t understand how lucky they are to have him in their ranks,” du Plessis said.
“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,” he added.
Du Plessis highlighted how even Bumrah’s occasional errors become difficult for batters to capitalise on because of his unique action and late release.
“They know it’s going to be full — yorker or slower ball. He bowled two low full tosses in that over and both times Sam Curran was late on the ball. Any other bowler missing length like that goes for six,” he explained.
“He’s got such a unique action that it’s hard to pick how quickly the ball comes out of his wrist. That mystery makes it very hard to line him up.”
Bumrah finished with figures of 1/33 from four overs in a match that produced a staggering 499 runs. As India prepare for the final against New Zealand, the hopes of a billion fans will once again rest on their “genie with the ball.”
Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs ENG Live Score updates, including the full schedule, teams, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.
