A young boy in Gujarat lost his father when he was just 5 years old. His mother raised him alone in Ahmedabad, struggling to make ends meet.
As a young boy, he had only one pair of shoes and a single T shirt. He washed the T Shirt every night, so he could wear it again the next day.
With no fancy facilities, he taught himself to bowl on the streets of Ahmedabad, developing the characteristic slingy action the world now recognizes instantly.
In 2012, a video of his bowling caught the eye of John Wright, who was then working as a talent scout and coach for the Mumbai Indians, and he was called for trials.
In 2013, he was picked by Mumbai Indians in the IPL. A skinny young fast bowler with a strange action… but incredible talent.
During the early years of the player’s IPL career with the Mumbai Indians, Mitchell Johnson noticed his unusual bowling action and raw pace during practice.
Johnson, who used ASICS shoes himself, gifted the player a pair of ASICS bowling shoes.
His first pair of high quality shoes.
Years later, the same boy who once struggled to afford shoes became a global ambassador for ASICS.
From IPL newcomer to India’s strike bowler, he went on to take 400+ international wickets and become one of the most feared fast bowlers in the world.
And today, that boy from Ahmedabad stands tall as a T20 World Cup 2026 champion for India.
The World knows him as Jasprit Bumrah.
Leave a Reply