Cricket debates are nothing new; fans love them, players fuel them, and social media lives off them. However, when Varun Aaron, a former Indian pacer, recently claimed that Jasprit Bumrah is better than Wasim Akram, it didnโt just stir debate; it sparked a storm. And letโs just say, former Pakistan bowler Abdur Rouf Khan didnโt take the comparison lightly.
Varun Aaron’s Bold Take
It all began during an interview where Aaron couldnโt stop raving about Bumrahโs heroics, especially after his recent five-wicket haul against England. Praising Bumrah, Aaron declared:
โCalling him a genius would be an understatement.โ
He pointed out that Bumrah has now overtaken Wasim Akram in terms of Test wickets in SENA countries, South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia. That stat alone, Aaron argued, puts Bumrah in a class of his own, perhaps even a level above the legendary Akram.
โThat says it all for me,โ he added, โbecause Wasim was arguably the best fast bowler to walk the face of the earthโand Bumrah is pretty much the same, if not better.โ
That last line, however, didnโt sit well with some in the cricketing fraternity.
Abdur Rouf: โItโs Beyond Ridiculousโ
Abdur Rouf Khan, a former Pakistan Test bowler, didnโt mince words. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he slammed Aaron for what he called a โstupidโ and โbiasedโ comparison.
โI am surprised by those former Indian players who compare Bumrah with Wasim Akram,โ Rouf wrote.
โIt wouldn’t be surprising if a common person with no understanding of cricket said such a stupid thing, but if a Test cricketer did this, it means that he either has no knowledge of cricket or is a bigot of the highest order.โ
Rouf wasnโt done there. He doubled down on Akramโs greatness, calling him โone of the greatest fast bowlers in cricket historyโ and saying that no one can ever match his naturally gifted skills.
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