Former India opener Aakash Chopra revealed an attention-grabbing dialog he had with legendary Pakistan quick bowler Waqar Younis, who rated Jasprit Bumrah greater than himself and his iconic bowling associate Wasim Akram.“We were in a car, and Waqar Younis was with me. I asked him, ‘The entire cricket world respects Wasim Akram for the variations in his bowling and the control he possessed. He was par excellence. Bumrah is like a right-handed Wasim Akram, right?’ He replied, ‘No, he is better than all of us,’” Chopra recalled on his YouTube channel.Waqar Younis also explained why he thinks Bumrah is better than former legends like him.“We didn’t have this level of thinking at his age. His skill is better, his thinking is better. He is the best the world has ever seen,” Waqar told Chopra.
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Waqar Younis is not the only former legend to shower praise on India’s spearhead.A few years ago, West Indies great Andy Roberts also shared similar thoughts about Bumrah.“The biggest compliment for Jasprit Bumrah came in 2019 when I was the coach here (with the Indian team). He dismantled the opposition in 2–2.5 days across two Tests. Andy Roberts came to meet him and said, ‘You could’ve taken the new ball in our team,’” former India coach Ravi Shastri recalled during the 2024 T20 World Cup.“There’s no bigger compliment than that — the leader of the pack that had Michael Holding, Joel Garner, and Colin Croft saying you could’ve taken the new ball in their team. No bigger compliment than that,” Shastri added.