I wanted to see how hungry he was – Ravi Shastri on how he got Jasprit Bumrah to play Test cricket

Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the finest bowlers that India has ever seen and with the kind of accolades that he has garnered over time, without a shadow of doubt, he has transcended himself into one of the finest stars that Indian cricket has ever seen.

When Bumrah started his career, he was labelled as white-ball cricketer. However, it was India’s coach back then, Ravi Shastri, who wanted to try the ace quick in the longest format of the game.

In a chat with Michael Atherton as quoted by PTI, Shastri said, “I remember my first call to him, it was in Kolkata. I asked him, would he be interested in Test cricket. He said that would be the biggest day of his life.”

He further said, “He was labelled as a white-ball cricketer without asking him. But I knew. I wanted to see how hungry he was. I told him to get ready, be prepared. I told him I was going to unleash him in South Africa.”

Shastri concluded by stating, “Bumrah's so excited to be playing and doing well in Test cricket. He was desperate to play Test cricket with Virat Kohli. They know, at the end of the day, no one remembers white ball averages. They will always remember your numbers in Test cricket.”