Boria Majumdar in Leeds
England were in control of proceedings at a potentially decisive stage of play on Day 2 of the first Test. Almost against the run of play, Jasprit Bumrah, India’s talisman, got the wicket of Ben Duckett.
Once the cheers subsided, the English section of the crowd started to celebrate almost. Coming out was Joe Root, England’s and perhaps the world’s best batter and someone who has literally tormented teams in the last two years. The ball was fairly old and India were facing the daunting prospect of bowling to Root and Ollie Pope. Making matters worse for the bowlers, the sun was out in Leeds.
For an hour after that, England were in a commanding position. Runs were flowing and the dropped catches did not help. Prasidh Krishna leaked runs and just when the shoulders had started to drop, did Shubman Gill go to Bumrah again.
Root versus Bumrah is a contest within a contest and clearly, the Indian was fired up. He had been unlucky against Root in the spell after tea, but then in the last 10 minutes of play, he induced the edge. For the 10th time in his career, Bumrah uprooted England’s biggest batter of the generation.
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Watching from the press box, it seemed too good to be true. The Indian champion yet again had brought his team back in the game. He could have had one more, but then Harry Brook was out to a no-ball. To the amazement of those present at Headingley, every time the ball was handed to Bumrah, he was making things happen.
In fact, Bumrah versus Root was pure drama. India had their man and all of a sudden, the match was back in the balance. Bumrah, unsettled to an extent by the dropped chances, had come back to do the job and the talk was all about how good he is. For Root, he knew he had made a mistake and with a slight grimace on his face, he started the long walk back.
Cricket, yet again, was the great leveller. Bumrah, unlucky all afternoon, finally got his reward. It took time to sink in that he had got Root one more time and once he did, the Indian fans found voice. They sensed Bumrah was on top and soon after, he got Brook to make the mistake. Mohammed Siraj had taken the catch only to see that it was a no-ball. It was one of those moments for which people pay money to come and be a part of the action. While England had a good day, the Root wicket meant that they were not able to run away with it. India are very much in this despite the late-order collapse.
For Bumrah, who could have easily picked five, it was an effort par excellence. Three wickets to close out the day, India’s premier bowler had yet again shouldered the responsibility. He is the only Indian bowler on the scoresheet and has been head and shoulders above the rest.
But that’s where things become problematic for the team. While Bumrah can produce a peach to dismiss anyone, the truth is he continues to lack support. It is now on the others to put up their hands and get into the lower middle-order as soon as possible.
Also Read: Batting fumble and butter fingers dim Bumrah brilliance