Pakistan-born runner Zahoor Khan has an inspiring story of determination and success. Now, he has revealed how Jasprit Bumrah helped him.
He was forced to move to the United Arab Emirates to fulfil his dreams of playing cricket, and his entire journey took flight when he joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp as a net bowler in 2014.
This experience opened doors for him, especially when the Indian Premier League (IPL) moved to the UAE in 2020, as he was able to spend three months with the MI team.
His performances in the MI nets caught the attention of Indian superstars like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
Zahoor Khan reveals Jasprit Bumrah asked for tips and Rohit Sharma couldn’t choose his delivery
Zahoor revealed that his slower deliveries left a lasting impression on Jasprit Bumrah. He revealed that Bumrah was fascinated by his slower balls and even asked him for tips on how to perfect his grip. The UAE player also recounted the time when he asked Bumrah for tips on how to bowl a yorker with the new ball.
Zahoor Khan was quoted by Sports Tak as saying, “I was with the Mumbai Indians for three months. I spent a reasonable amount of time with Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. In fact, Bumrah liked me so much that he asked me about the grip. Yeh slower ball kaise dalte ho? How do you bowl this ball?”
“This is very important for me as he is the world number one player and he asked me about the grip. He also saw my video in the T10 tournament where I bowled a maiden. I told him that but I also asked him how he bowled Yorkers with the new ball. Because only two people in the world can do it – Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah.”
Rohit is a legend and Bumrah is a superstar: Zahoor Khan
The 35-year-old even bowled to former MI captain Rohit Sharma and impressed him with his slower deliveries. Recalling his first meeting with the Hitman, Zahoor recalled how Rohit welcomed him warmly and said, “The whole stadium is yours, Paaji. If you need anything, let me know.”
The US star added: “I even bowled a ball to Rohit Sharma. I once bowled a slower ball to him and he kept looking because the ball was barely reaching him. Even he couldn’t pick up my deliveries. He thought, ‘How can it be so slow?’ So I bowled to him again. He said, ‘Even if the batsman picks your ball, it will never result in a six. ’”
In the end, Zahoor described Rohit as a “legend” and said that the way he spoke and behaved was simply amazing. Recalling his time at MI, the pacer revealed that Rohit always had dinner with the same guys, who carried our luggage. Praising Bumrah, Zahoor called the Indian pacer a “superstar”.
Khan was very impressed with the way Bumrah made a remarkable comeback after being out of action for a year. He said that Bumrah is a wonderful human being. It is worth noting that the right-hander has played more than 100 international matches and picked up more than 150 wickets so far.
