Jasprit Bumrah bags five-for at Lord’s, but his press conference jibe at Nitish Reddy steals the spotlight
Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul on Day 2 of the Lord’s Test was the headline act with the ball as India restricted England to 387. But it was his light-hearted yet pointed press conference remark about teammate Nitish Kumar Reddy that caught just as much attention.
Bumrah, often the calm figure leading India’s bowling attack, didn’t hold back when asked about Reddy’s comments from Day 1. With a smile on his face, he said, “Nitish Reddy’s comment is a lie. He hasn’t asked me anything.”
That remark has since gone viral, sparking humorous reactions on social media.
On the opening day, Nitish had praised Bumrah’s influence and said India’s bowling unit was simply following his lead. “Just with [Jasprit] Bumrah leading the attack, we just follow what Bumrah says,” he had said after taking two wickets, including Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. It was seen as a show of respect and cohesion within the bowling unit, until Bumrah publicly disagreed.
Bumrah clarified that while he’s happy to guide the younger players, Nitish hadn’t sought any advice from him. “I try and share my past experiences of playing here with them,” he said. “But I haven’t had any specific conversation with him during this match.”
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The India vice-captain had made his intentions clear by resting for the Edgbaston Test, saving himself for the Honours Board at Lord’s. And he delivered. Bumrah picked 5 for 74, ripping through England’s middle and lower order and surpassing Kapil Dev for most five-fors away from home by an Indian. Notably, the pacer was very reluctant to celebrate the five-wicket haul, before teammates forced him to raise the ball to the crowd.
“I didn’t celebrate there because I was tired. I am not 21-22 [years old] that I will jump around. I wanted to go back to my mark and bowl,” Bumrah said in the press conference.
KL Rahul (53*) and Rishabh Pant (19*) led India to 145/3 at stumps, still trailing by 242. But off the field, it was Bumrah’s dry humour that led the day’s narrative.
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