Jasprit Bumrah and Chris Martin© AFP & PTI
India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is the darling of Indian cricket fans, and now ICC’s No. 1 Test bowler is also receiving praise from popular British band Coldplay and their lead singer Chris Martin. Coldplay are performing five concerts in India between January 18 and 26, and took time out of their songs to pay tribute to Bumrah, even playing a replay of his famous toe-crushing yorker to Ollie Pope in a Test against England in 2024. Bumrah took to social media to thank Coldplay.
“This made me smile! Incredible vibe at the Coldplay concert in Mumbai (from what I’ve seen here) and even more special to be mentioned,” Bumrah wrote on Instagram, reacting to the band’s tribute to him.
In the opening Coldplay concert at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, lead singer Martin had joked that Bumrah was present backstage and had asked him to pause the concert for 15 minutes so that he could bowl to him.
The next day, however, Martin admitted that he had lied, and said that he had received a “serious message” from Bumrah. Then, as a tribute, Martin called Bumrah ‘No. 1 in the world’ and played a video on the giant screen of Bumrah dismissing Ollie Pope, drawing large cheers from the crowd.
Coldplay are performing three shows in Mumbai and two at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as part of their ‘Music of the Spheres’ World Tour.
On the other hand, Bumrah is battling to be fit in time for the Champions Trophy 2025. He suffered a back injury at the end of a stunning Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, where he took 32 wickets.
However, he has been advised five weeks of rest, and whether he plays a part in the Champions Trophy starting February 19 depends on his recovery by the first couple of weeks of February.
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