'Bumrah won't be able to take my 300kmph smash'

Kolkata Knight Riders batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi sparked controversy with his dig at Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal in July. After she labelled cricket as a “skill-based sport”, Raghuvanshi mocked the Olympic bronze medalist on a now-deleted social media post, referring to Jasprit Bumrah.

In an indirect response, Nehwal addressed the young cricketer’s comments during a recent chat on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube podcast. Reacting to the joke about her facing a “150km” bouncer from Bumrah, Nehwal wittily pointed out that the Indian pacer would likely struggle to handle one of her powerful smashes.

“I just feel that it’s (cricket) more of a skill-based sport. And bowlers, I agree. I won’t die there. Why would I face Jasprit Bumrah anyway? If I had been playing for 8 years, maybe I would have answered Jasprit Bumrah. If Jasprit Bumrah plays badminton with me maybe he won’t be able to take my smash,” Saina Nehwal said.