India's pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was phenomenal in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Bumrah finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament and won the 'Player of the match' award in the final. His slower balls made it difficult for the opposition to pick him. He has been earning praises from legendary cricketers around the world. Meanwhile, Pakistan-born UAE pacer Zahoor Khan claims that he taught Bumrah how to bowl slower balls during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in UAE.
“Let me tell you a story. Bumrah used to bowl slower balls before, but with normal action. In one of the matches in Abu Dhabi, he, Trent Boult, and Nathan Coulter-Nile conceded a lot of runs. The IPL was happening in September that year. In September, in the UAE, it’s 50 degrees. It’s very hot. You can’t even hold the ball properly at night because it gets wet,” Zahoor said.
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“So Mumbai Indians called me, I did quarantine for 6 days, went to practice on the 7th day. I was with the team that night. Zaheer Khan and Robin Singh knew me because I did a maiden over in T10 league. I bowled the first one yorker and next five deliveries were slower ones. I bowled slow. So we were sitting together, Bumrah came and sat in front of the table, Rohit Sharma came and sat there, I was sitting there, I was watching,” he added.
Zahoor claimed that former India pacer Zaheer Khan who was part of MI coaching staff asked him to show the video of his bowling where he bowled a maiden over in T10 League. Then, Bumrah asked him Zahoor how to bowl these deliveries. He further claimed that coaches Shane Bond and Mahela Jaywardene were left impressed by his bowling. He also fulfilled his promise to teach it to Bumrah in the next practice session.
“Zaheer Khan told me to show my video where I bowled a maiden over. Bumrah looked at it and asked me, ‘Brother, what are you bowling here?’ I said they were slower balls. Then he asked me how I bowl them,” Zahoor said.
“I said, in the same action, in the same grip. He said, how is this possible? I said, I’ll tell you in practice. He said, okay you have to tell me your grip in the next practice. I said, okay. When the practice came, I was bowling. Shane Bond was the bowling coach of Mumbai Indians. And Mahela Jayawardene was standing behind the nets. So I came and did a slower bouncer. It beat the batsman. Shane Bond said, what is your grip? Do you bowl off-cutters? I said, no, it’s the same grip.”
“He said show me, I threw it like this and then two or three slower balls. So he told Jayawardene that this is a new thing in cricket. He said, ‘Look how good he bowls the slower balls, in the same action and arm speed. So after a day or two, I was bowling with Bumrah. So he said, Paaji, what is your grip, show me. So I showed him, it’s the same. I threw it like this, it has to come in the same action. So he bowled and said, ’this is the next level thing.’ I mean, I’m a player for UAE right now and he’s a world-class bowler. So I really liked that thing that he’s such a big star and he was asking me,” he concluded.
How Bumrah performed in IPL 2020?
MI went on to win the IPL title in that edition, beating Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi Capitals. Bumrah was the second-highest wicket-taker, bagging 27 wickets at an average of 14.96. His economy rate was 6.73 runs per over. He claimed two four-fers in the season.
Who is Zahoor Khan? His T20I, ODI and first-class stats
Zahoor still players for MI Emirates in ILT20. He has been a part of the franchise for four editions taking 22 wickets from 26 games at an average of 31.63.
He made his ODI and T20I debut for UAE in 2017, nine years after his first-class debut for Lahore. He played 30 first-class games, claiming 113 wickets, featuring six five-wicket hauls. From 62 ODIs and 57 T20Is, he has 93 and 72 wickets respectively. The last time he played a T20I and ODI was in 2023 and 2024 respectively.