India pacer Jasprit Bumrah insists that Test matches remain the highest form of cricket as he seeks to get fit for the upcoming five-match series against England.
The Mumbai-born fast bowler fractured his thumb in the second T20 against Ireland and is facing a race against time to get fit for the Test series. It is expected that Bumrah might not recover in time for the first Test which gets underway at Edgbaston on August 1 but he was part of the Indian Test contingent which departed for England on Monday.
Prior to his departure, Bumrah gave his thoughts on his introduction to Test cricket as well as his method of preparation in an interview with his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.
“I always wanted to play Test cricket. I was happy when I finally got to play it in South Africa. The start also went well. I always loved Test cricket and I rate it very highly. I enjoy playing each and every format but for me, Test cricket is at the paramount level because I feel everything is tested at that level,” Bumrah said in a video posted by the Mumbai Indians on Twitter.
The 24-year-old revealed that he does not limit his preparations for an overseas tour to just cricket.
“You look to enjoy the country, you look to see the place. That is how you get to know about the culture of the place and you eventually start enjoying the country. It then reflects on your performance as well,” the pacer said.
“Whenever I go to a new country, I always plan in advance. Before visiting the country, I have a look at a few videos. What works over there. What the home team does over there. It is very important for long tours to enjoy the country and see the places. So that’s the basic thing that I look to follow,” he added.
Bumrah, along with Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara departed for England for the Test series on Monday.
India will take on Essex in a four-day warm-up game which begins on Wednesday at the County Ground in Chelmsford prior to taking on the hosts in the first Test.