Shamik Chakrabarty at Eden Gardens
Does Jasprit Bumrah still carry the hurt? The question has to be asked.
On Friday, in his first Test at Eden Gardens, Bumrah gave a masterclass in fast bowling. He does it for fun. Seam, swing and bounce – he had South Africa on the mat, returning with 5/27 from 14 overs. Somehow, at the post-day press conference, the fitness question reared its head again. “You play in all three formats. Still, sometimes there are some questions raised about your fitness. How satisfied are you with today’s performance after taking five wickets on the first day of the Test match?” The question from a reporter had the carry-over effect of the England tour, where Bumrah played three Tests in a five-match series. Some former cricketers, including World Cup-winner Sandeep Patil, questioned the workload-management factor.
Bumrah opted for a slow burn before delivering the sucker punch. “I try to give my best in whichever format I play,” said the fast-bowling maestro. “These questions are not my questions, I will not answer them. I try to play as much as I can. I try to take care of my body.”
He added: “I try to give my best in each and every format. That’s how I have looked at my career. I will look to do that in the future as well. Rest, question-answer sessions, whoever wants to play, they can play. I’m happy as long as I’m able to contribute and try to learn new things, and try to offer more to the side.”
South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince aimed a veiled dig at Eden pitch, repeatedly mentioning its uneven bounce. Bumrah spoke about how Test cricket is all about adapting to different challenges. “That’s the challenge of Test cricket, right?” he stressed. “Whenever you go to different conditions, the challenge is different. We went to South Africa and five sessions, the Test match was over (Cape Town). So, it’s never a simple answer that this is how the wicket should be.”
Bumrah went on. “This is the challenge of Test cricket,” he said. “We go to England, the atmosphere is different. We go to Australia, the challenge is different. So, we have to adapt. We as a team will not point fingers and complain that this is how it is. Yes, we are skilful players and that is why we are in our national side. It is our job to adapt and find ways because that’s how professional cricket works.”
As Bumrah was making the ball talk, Sourav Ganguly was having an informal conversation with a group of reporters. “He (Bumrah) doesn’t need the wicket (to be successful),” the former India captain and the current CAB president concluded.
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