Indian cricketers hit back at Abdul Razzaq for calling Bumrah “baby bowler”

Former Indian cricketers hit back at Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq for calling Jasprit Bumrah a “baby bowler”, with Irfan Pathan urging fans to not pay heed to his “over the top statements.”

The former Indian all-rounder took to Twitter to criticize the Pakistani but did not mention Razzaq recently. However, he used #Bumrah in the tweet, which indicated that he was replying to Razzaq’s claims.

“I have played against great bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram, so Bumrah is a baby bowler in front of me and I could have easily dominated and attacked him,” Razzaq had said in an interview to Cricket Pakistan.

Pathan, on his part, tweeted, “Irfan jese bowlers hamari gali gali mein paae jate hay par jab jab ye galli bowler inke samne khela har baar inki gilliyan nikal ke rakh di. Request to all fans not to pay any heat to those unnecessary over the top statements. Just read and 🙂 #Bumrah #Virat Kohli”

“Irfan jese bowlers hamari gali gali mein paae jate hay” par jab jab ye galli bowler inke samne khela har baar inki gilliyan nikal ke rakh di. Request to all fans not to pay any heat to those unnecessary over the top statements. Just read and 😃…. #bumrah #ViratKohli

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 5, 2019

Pathan also took a dig at former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad who had called Pathan as a “gully bowler”.

”Your Irfan Pathans are in every gully and mohalla of Pakistan. We don’t even bother to look at them,” then Pakistan coach Miandad had reportedly said when India toured Pakistan in 2004 after a gap of 15 years.

“I am not saying he [Pathan] is bad. All I am saying is that he is all right for India. But Pathan can’t scare us. He simply does not have the pace. What Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami can do against Indian batsmen, Pathan cannot do against our batsmen.“

Then 19 years of age, Pathan played three ODIs of the five and picked up eight wickets to help India win the series. In the Tests that followed, Pathan picked up 12 wickets. On India’s next tour to Pakistan in 2006, Pathan once again made waves as he picked up a hattrick in his very first over in the third Test.

Former cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra also took a dig at Razzaq and tweeted, “Another fine example of the fact that growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. Well played.“

Bumrah is currently the world number 1 bowler in ODIs. He has not played a single game since India’s tour of West Indies in August where he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back. However, he is fit and raring to go, and has been constantly uploading videos of his training regime with fitness trainer Rajnikanth Sivagnanam.