Jasprit Bumrah registered his maiden five-wicket haul at Lord's.
It won’t be long before ‘Jasprit Bumrah’ and ‘five-wicket hauls’ become synonyms. The first day of the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy belonged to England. After Nitish Reddy struck twice in the same over, Joe Root and Ollie Pope got along for a 109-run stand. Skipper Ben Stokes and Root saw the day through, and the hosts were 251/4 at stumps on Day 1. The weather on the second day was quite sunny. There was no cloud cover, and it was a good day for batting. But then, Jasprit Bumrah happened! The speedster plucked three wickets out of thin air in a matter of seven deliveries. After getting Stokes and centurion Root bowled, Bumrah went on to dismiss Chris Woakes for a golden duck. As a result, India reduced the hosts to 271/7, with three wickets in the first 30 mins.
The experienced pacer finished with figures of 5/74, bagging his 15th five-wicket haul in the longest format. His fifth wicket on Day 2 was also his 70th dismissal against England, and the 47th on English soil altogether. The 31-year-old pacer attended the press conference and spoke about various topics, including his celebration, or the lack of it, after picking a fifer. Upon being asked about his fifer celebrations, he expressed that he was tired, and that age is not on his side anymore. He also mentioned that he wanted to go back to his mark and focus on his bowling.
“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”, said Bumrah in the press conference.
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The Indian pacer will find his name on the Lord’s honour boards, a tradition which is followed at the iconic stadium in London. His ability to turn the tables around for India when the pitch had very little to offer was commendable. Moreover, the deliveries that got Stokes and Root out were very special ones. The delivery to the English skipper came back into him and castled the stumps. The seam position was brilliant throughout, and the ball nipped back in wonderfully to take Stokes by surprise. Root, on the other hand, was a set batter on 104. Bumrah bowled a delivery outside off, which wasn’t too full. Root went for a full-fledged drive, and the ball took the inside edge to divert onto the stumps. Both these wickets, coupled with the Woakes dismissal, got India back into the game.
Upon being asked about his feelings after being on the coveted honours board at Lord’s, Bumrah expressed that it is always a good sight to see. He also spoke about managing expectations and not having the fear of being judged. The pacer has decided to play just three matches out of the five, and India will be wary of his workload. He skipped the second Test at Edgbaston and has bounced back wonderfully in the third one. What remains to be seen is whether he features in the fourth or the fifth Test match. Bumrah will be extremely critical to India’s chances, provided the experience he brings to the table.
“People will continue to judge me till the time I wear this jersey. Sachin sir [Tendulkar] played 200 Tests, but he was also judged. It feels good to be on the honours board. It will be good to tell my son about it”, concluded Bumrah.
Bumrah also spoke about the controversy around the Dukes ball. He clearly stated that it is not something that is in a bowler’s control. Moreover, he emphasized that he had no intention of making controversial statements during the press conference. The Dukes ball was changed twice in the first session on Day 2. The Indians opted for a change of the ball after 80 overs. The ball went out of shape in the 92nd over and had to be changed after consulting the umpires. However, the changed ball lost shape again just 48 balls later, and was changed for the second time in the same session. Both the captains and the ball manufacturers have had their say on the matter, and it would be interesting to see how the topic unfolds in the days to come.
“I don’t really control that. I don’t want to lose out on money because I work very hard & bowl a lot of overs so I don’t want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted, but sometimes it goes your way, sometimes we get a bad ball”, Bumrah said.
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