NEW DELHI: Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday looked back at his 10-year journey in international cricket with a touch of emotion, opening up about the constant fight against “pains” and “opinions” along the way.

Bumrah burst onto the scene in 2016 as a white-ball specialist and quickly embedded himself into the imagination of a cricket-mad nation. It did not take long for him to grow into a match-winner across formats, becoming one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket.

On Sunday, he once again underlined his class with a fiery spell of 4-0-17-3 against New Zealand in the third T20I here, a performance that fetched him another Player of the Match award.

“Feels good to complete 10 years. As a kid, I tried to play one game. Fighting pains, assumptions, opinions, aches etc was tough. It's a feather in my cap. Journey continues,” Bumrah said during the post-match presentation.

Early in his career, many doubted Bumrah’s longevity, largely due to his unconventional bowling action. He has repeatedly silenced those doubts, even overcoming serious setbacks like recurring back spasms to return stronger each time.

Those reflections, however, did not distract him from the job at hand.

“I was keeping an eye when Rana and Hardik bowled. When I came on the ball was scuffed up. I'm happy as long as I can contribute. If I'm given the new ball I can do it, same for the death,” he added.

Surya sets the tone

Bumrah’s influence, combined with Abhishek Sharma’s destructive batting, has been central to India’s dominance over New Zealand in the series. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav stressed that the team wants to stick to this fearless approach.

“This is the brand of cricket which we want to play, irrespective of our batting first or chasing. Of course, for example, if we are 24 for 3 or 44 for 4 tomorrow, we know how to bat,” said Surykumar, referring to India’s ability to chase down 154 in just 10 overs.

Abhishek embraces the challenge

Abhishek led the charge with a blistering 68 off 20 balls and admitted that sustaining such an attacking tempo is not always easy, but one he is willing to take on for the team.

“That's what my team wants from me and I just want to execute all the time. But obviously, it's not easy to do it every time, but I think it's all about mental as well and the atmosphere you get around your dressing room as well,” said Abhishek.

The left-hander brought up a 14-ball fifty, only two deliveries slower than his mentor Yuvraj Singh’s iconic 12-ball effort. Asked if he was chasing that record, Abhishek was realistic.

“That's more than impossible for anyone (to break Yuvraj's record), but still, you never know. Any batsman could do it because I think all the batters have been batting really well in this series and going forward, it's going to be fun.”

The 25-year-old also explained that his ultra-aggressive approach is largely instinctive rather than pre-planned.

“I wouldn't say it's like I want to go from the first ball. It's just the instinct I get in between the wickets. I think about the bowler if he wants to get out on my first ball, then what he could bowl to me and that's always there in my mind and I just want to play on that ball,” he said.

(With PTI Inputs)