Bumrah an inspiration, have sought his advice several times: Naman Tiwari

Fast bowler Naman Tiwari has been in terrific form at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, having pouched 10 wickets at 17.50. He is expected to play a key role in the final against Australia on Sunday (February 11) and fondly recollects the advice provided to him by Jasprit Bumrah, who he met on several occasions at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

"Bumrah is a source of inspiration for us," Naman told PTI Bhasha on the sidelines of a practice session at Willowmoore Park Stadium. 

"I watch his bowling videos a lot. I have met him several times at the NCA and talked to him a lot about the mentality and skills of a bowler.

"He explained a lot [of things to me], which have been useful. He told me how to bowl accurate yorkers, and I have worked a lot [on that aspect] following his advice. I have to work hard to bring more aggression in my bowling."

Naman has lofty ambitions that include not just playing Test cricket for India, but also to bowl the fastest-ever ball in the sport.

"I try to learn something from every bowler I like. I try to understand and learn by watching his [Bumrah's] videos. I like Shoaib Akhtar's speed, Dale Steyn's swing and Mitchell Starc's aggression very much," Naman added, talking about his idols.

"One day, I want to bowl the fastest ball in the world. I also want to play the World Cup with the senior team. But, for now, I have to focus on performance. I want to continuously improve my game because the challenges will be even bigger in the future, and I will have to prepare my base to face them."

India reached their fifth U-19 World Cup final in a row after beating hosts South Africa by two wickets in the semi-final on Tuesday (February 6). They have never lost to Australia in the final of the tournament, having tasted success in the summit clash in 2012 and more recently in 2018.