South African speedster Marco Jansen has credited his use of bowling techniques employed by India’s fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
The Proteas seamer watched replays of Bumrah’s bowling from the Kolkata Test in 2025, first employing his learnings in the warm-up games of the T20 World Cup. He noticed immediately that this change helped him in getting much quicker and sharper movement off the pitch.
“In the first Test match [in Kolkata], I looked at Jasprit Bumrah, at the replays of his wickets, and I saw from his hand and the ball that there were so many revs on the ball. I figured, let me just try and emulate what he’s doing,” Jansen was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“So, in the warm-up, I did it, and it looked like something was happening. It seemed like the ball was actually moving off the wicket, and it was like that sharp, quick movement. Then I tried it in the match, and I took two wickets quickly, and I just sort of stuck with it and went with it.”
With 11 wickets iat an average of 16.72 and strike rate of 10.81 n five innings, Jansen’s bowling has been vital to South Africa’s hopes of defeating the demons of 2024, when they lost in the final to an inspired India side in Barbados to miss the silverware. If they are to go all the way this time around, he is expected to play a key role.
Jansen makes his return to Eden Gardens, the same ground where he played a vital role in South Africa’s first Test victory on Indian soil in 15 years. He forms the core of the South Africa team set to take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Jason Smith.
New Zealand Squad: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Devon Conway.
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