How Sachin Tendulkar calmed down an ‘overwhelmed’ teenage Jasprit Bumrah on IPL debut; Mumbai Indians pacer reveals

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best, if not the best, bowlers in the world. And arguably one of the finest exponents of fast bowling to have graced the sport.

The Mumbai Indians fast bowler recently became the franchise's top wicket-taker after he overtook the former Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga's tally of 170 wickets. Now, the Indian pacer has 176 wickets from 140 IPL matches at an average of 22.21.

While Bumrah is a legend for both MI and Team India, he was once an ‘overwhelmed’ rookie bowler making his debut for the 5-time Indian Premier League champions.

During his first season with the franchise in 2013, Bumrah, then 19, was overwhelmed by sharing the dressing room with cricket legends, such as Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing his final season.

Sachin's advice calms teenage Bumrah

As the teenager Bumrah was nervously preparing to make his IPL debut, Tendulkar calmed him down with some sane counsel.

“When I came here, Sachin Tendulkar was still playing. It was his last year. Initially, when a 19-year-old comes into this atmosphere and sees such legends of the game everywhere, the level of cricket is so high and so different from under-19 cricket.

"I was a little overwhelmed. But when I played my first game, before starting the game, he told me that ‘Don’t look at the individual. Bowl to the batsman, not to the name.’ That helped me quite a lot,” Bumrah reminisced during a promotional event with MI.

That advice seems to have paid off as Bumrah has skyrocketed from a nervous debutant to being one of the best fast bowlers of all time, across all three formats.

Bumrah in IPL 2025

The MI fast bowler missed the first four matches of IPL 2025 as he was still recovering from the back injury he suffered earlier this year during the Border Gavaskar Trophy Test series.

While MI made a turbulent start to the season, winning only one in their first five matches, Bumrah's return has coincided with their strong comeback.

MI bounced back with six consecutive wins leading up to today's match against the Gujarat Titans and are well positioned for a spot in the IPL playoffs.

They host GT, who are one place below them in fourth, at the Wankhede stadium at 7:30 pm tonight.

Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.