India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is expected to play a major role in the side’s quest for a second ICC men’s T20 World Cup title in the USA and West Indies this month, with the right-armer making a seamless return from a serious back injury over the past 12 months.

Bumrah sat out of international cricket for a considerable period between 2022 and 2023 and it forced the fast bowler, hailed as one of the finest to play for India, to miss the most recent edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022 and other important fixtures.

However, the star bowler made a comeback in August last year, with a T20I series against Ireland, and hasn’t looked back since. He was one of the best performers in India’s run to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final, picking up 20 wickets at an average of 18.65 with an economy bordering merely four.

Having returned just months before the global megaevent in the subcontinent, Bumrah focused on a simple philosophy that helped smoothen his comeback.

“Since I have come back from my injury, I have only focused on enjoying the game as much as I can,” said Bumrah while adding that he was trying to focus on the process rather than the uncertainty surrounding the game.

“Because (certain) things will go my way. (Certain) things will not go my way. All of these things will be a part of my process. So I have just realised that I started playing this sport. Because I love this sport.

“And I will focus on that rather than the end result. So in that aspect you reduce your pressure. And you enjoy the sport. When you focus on those things. Rather than the things you cannot control,” he added.

Bumrah’s 74 T20I scalps place him in third position in India’s all-time T20I wicket-takers list.

Much of his success in the format can be attributed to a pinpoint yorker, capable of breaching through the batter’s defence in no time. To explain the discovery of this wicket-taking option, Bumrah went back to his childhood, explaining how he developed the yorker while playing tennis-ball cricket.

“So I played a lot of tennis-ball, rubber-ball cricket when I was growing up,” Bumrah said. “I used to play a lot with my friends in summer camps. And on summer vacations. Or whenever you used to get a lot of time.

“So when I was a kid, I used to think that this is the only way to get wickets. Because I was a fan of fast bowling. I was really fascinated by what I saw on the television. So I tried to replicate that,” he recalled.

Bumrah revealed that repeated practice has helped him hone this skill to near perfection.

“Is it (tennis-ball cricket) a secret (to bowling yorkers) or not? I don’t know,” Bumrah queried.

“But repetition surely is. Because I have kept this delivery. I still practice it. I keep on practicing it. Because every skill that you develop, you have to practice it and make it stronger. So I think a combination of both would be the answer.”

Having debuted for India in 2016, Bumrah is the senior-most pacer in the current T20 World Cup squad. He’s leading an attack with the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh with support from all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Despite being a senior hand, Bumrah believed in giving youngsters like Arshdeep their own space and letting them go through their own journey within the team setup.

“You don’t try to over-teach. That is something that I have learned. Because whenever people need help, I let them have their own questions. Or if they need my help. Because you don’t want to give too much information,” Bumrah said.

Bumrah contextualised his approach by stating that learning a skill is part and parcel of the game.

“It’s not like they have just been lucky and they land here. So that is what I try to do. I do pass on certain information that I have gained over from my experience,” he added.

“But I don’t try to burden them with (over) information. Because that is a part of the journey as well. That you have to find your own ways and solutions,” he further stated.

India are in Group A of the men’s T20 World Cup 2024, along with Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and the USA. The men-in-blue will officially start their campaign against Ireland on June 5.