“Jasprit is probably going to go down as one of the greatest fast bowlers to play the game,” said Head.
Bumrah, captaining in the first Test in the absence of Rohit Sharma, made life hell for the Australian batsmen on a bouncing Perth pitch.
He took 5-30 from 18 overs as the hosts were shot out for 104 and followed up with 3-42 in the second innings as India won by 295 runs.
His unorthodox front-on action allows him to release the ball late and he can bowl yorkers at will.
Australia’s quick bowler Josh Hazlewood marvelled at Bumrah’s idiosyncratic style, which was honed in his childhood while practising in a small car park near his family’s apartment in the city of Ahmedabad.
“If you haven’t faced him before, it can really unsettle you,” Hazlewood said.
“He lets the ball go way out in front, so he’s pretty much half a yard quicker than what the actual speed gun says.
“He’s like a slingshot loading up and letting go.”
Instant impact
Bumrah’s match haul in Perth had some pundits questioning the legality of his deliveries, which appear to be bowled with a bent elbow.
Australian great and former India coach Greg Chappell soon jumped to Bumrah’s defence, describing the debate as “nonsense” and deeming Bumrah’s action “unequivocally clean”.
