Jasprit Bumrah continues to sit at the very top tier of modern fast bowling, and his name is often spoken in the same breath as the game’s biggest stars when people discuss influence and match-winning impact. Yet even with that obvious stature, Delhi Capitals bowling coach Munaf Patel believes there is a noticeable difference in how mass popularity plays out between a pure batting icon and a pace spearhead. In a candid conversation on the Bombay Exchange Podcast, Patel credited Bumrah for his superstar presence, but noted that the scale of attention is not identical to what a player like Virat Kohli receives.
Patel’s point was simple: Bumrah is a star, but the level of widespread fan recognition still doesn’t match the kind of reach typically enjoyed by a batter of Kohli’s stature. “How will that happen, sir?” Patel said, drawing the comparison directly. “Look at Virat Kohli’s popularity and Bumrah’s popularity. There is a difference.” He reinforced the idea that while Bumrah’s standing is indisputable, the visibility factor when measured against someone like Kohli remains distinct.
From there, the discussion moved away from individual fame and toward a more structural concern—how India develops fast bowlers in the first place. Patel argued that the country has shown the ability to produce pace at higher speeds, but there is still a gap in awareness, training methods, and the kind of hands-on guidance that players need early in their journey. In his view, the pipeline doesn’t consistently translate raw potential into sustained, elite pace.
Patel also offered a blunt reality check on what modern cricket rewards. Pace, he suggested, is the main currency now. “If you ask me to find bowlers who can bowl at 125 kmph, I can bring many,” he said. “But if you ask for bowlers who can consistently hit 140-plus, they are very rare.” He added that bowlers who truly operate at that level seldom go unnoticed, making the gap between occasional speed and repeatable high pace especially important.
At the heart of Patel’s argument is a paradox. Even though teams and selectors clearly want genuine pace, many aspiring fast bowlers are not being nurtured in a way that helps them reach those top speeds reliably. Patel described the situation as an “easiest pathway” scenario—at least in terms of selection doors. “It’s actually the easiest pathway right now,” he said. “If you are a fast bowler who can hit 135–140+, you can get into the Indian team quickly. But if you bowl at 125, no matter how much you swing the ball, you may not even get picked in IPL auctions.”
That last line underlined the problem: even skill with movement may not compensate for a shortfall in pace when the market for high-speed bowling is so specific. Patel then questioned whether institutions are doing enough to develop fast bowlers through a more scientific approach. He pointed to the importance of structured training environments, including facilities like the National Cricket Academy (NCA), and stressed that improvement has to be guided by the right combination of specialists—coaches, trainers, and physiotherapists—so bowlers can build speed without compromising their bodies.
In Patel’s view, the key isn’t just “going faster,” but understanding how to build pace properly. “You need to understand how to build that pace, strength, technique, workload management. Who is teaching that? That’s where the focus should be,” he said. Those elements, he suggested, are often missing or not delivered with the consistency that high-performance fast bowling requires.
Patel’s comments feed into a wider conversation in Indian cricket—one that celebrates the arrival of world-class talents like Bumrah while also demanding a sustainable future plan. If India wants a steady stream of fast bowlers who can regularly challenge at the top end of the speed spectrum, then the development system must move beyond admiration and toward repeatable, high-quality preparation from the grassroots upward.
