WATCH: Jasprit Bumrah castles Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan collapses for 191
Jasprit Bumrah has rediscovered his peak form, delivering a potentially game-changing performance against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The talismanic pacer showcased impressive speed and precision with the new ball, although he didn't secure any dismissals initially. Upon skipper Rohit Sharma's decision to introduce him after the 30th over, Bumrah spearheaded a collapse in the Pakistani batting lineup.
In the 33rd over, Kuldeep Yadav secured two crucial dismissals. Despite this, Mohammad Rizwan continued to build momentum and was edging towards his half-century at the other end. It was then that Bumrah unleashed a deceptive off-cutter, catching Rizwan off guard and dismantling his stumps on the final delivery of the 34th over, sending the wicketkeeper-batsman back to the pavilion for 49.
However, Bumrah's display was far from over. Throughout the World Cup, his lengths have been consistently impeccable, often leveraging his exceptional skills to claim wickets. Against Shadab Khan, he pitched one just outside off, inducing a sharp inward movement that eluded Khan's defense and disturbed the stumps. Given Khan's current struggle for form, this exceptional delivery from the Indian pacer concluded his brief innings.
Indian bowlers curb Pakistan to 191
"So, I just look at what I have to do on that particular day and, obviously, reading the game, reading my strengths have worked for me in the past as well. Keeping all of those things in mind, I keep going forward," Bumrah touched upon his preparation for the World Cup in the build up to this game.
He added, "Yes, we’re looking at ourselves more than the others because we’ve realised that if we focus on our team, we focus on our strengths as everything else then takes care of itself. So yeah, we are focusing on our team and our preparation."
Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 191 with all Indian bowlers (Bumrah, Siraj, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Hardik) picking up a couple of wickets barring Shardul Thakur, who finished wicketless.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Mohammed Siraj knocks off Babar Azam with a beauty
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.