Dubai : India's star pacer Jasprit Bumrah expressed his delight after receiving Men's Cricketer Of The Year, Men's Test Player Of The Year and also being named in the Men's Test Team Of The Year and T20I Team Of The Year at the ICC Awards 2024.
"It feels really good. As a child, I'd seen some of my childhood heroes win this (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) award. Always a privilege when you get such an honour," the 31-year-old pacer said after receiving his ICC Awards.
Featured across 21 matches (Tests and T20Is) in 2024, Bumrah snapped 86 wickets for India - 71 of which came in the longest format. The right-arm quick was also an integral member of India's T20 World Cup-winning squad.
Recapping the year gone by, Bumrah added, "The T20 World Cup which we won is always going to be special and will be there in my mind. Obviously, a lot of learnings in my mind in the year as well. We played a lot of Test cricket, we got to know a lot of different experiences, so yeah, I'm very happy and hopefully better things will follow."
The premium pacer received his ICC honours ahead of India's much-anticipated Champions Trophy fixture against Pakistan. While Bumrah was ruled out of the India squad owing to a back injury he sustained on the tour of Australia earlier this year, the pacer opened up on the return of his fellow pace compatriot, Mohammed Shami.
The 34-year-old marked his return from a long-term injury and was a star in India's opening win against Bangladesh, claiming a five-wicket haul. "I'm really happy for him (Shami). Obviously he's had an injury struggle for so long. It takes a toll. But he's been very happy and very positive. Looks good, he has the skill obviously, that will never go anywhere. The more he plays, the more confidence will come, and hopefully, he'll help the team go further," Bumrah said.
Bumrah also expressed his excitement over the return of the Champions Trophy. "The atmosphere is brilliant. The excitement...this tournament is coming after a long time so the buzz is there. The start has been good. Hopefully, the matches will get even better, and the competition will be even more fierce," he concluded.