The sun was blazing down. Shortly after lunch, it was warm, humid and a bit uncomfortable if you were in the uncovered parts of the stands at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. There was one calming factor if you were a home-team fan. Someone was warming up in these hot conditions. Nobody knew what was coming but it was building, quietly.
What unfolded over the next few hours over a few spells of furious fast bowling at its intelligent best should turn this India-England Test series on its head. Bowled out for what seemed to be a below-par 396 despite an epic 209 by Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Indian attack was initially cut to shreds by Zak Crawley. He struck Jasprit Bumrah for four fours in an over. The run rate was six an over.
India needed something special to get a few wickets and a grip on things. That they would end up with a stranglehold on this Test in a matter of a few short spells was as unbelievable as Bumrah scoring a century. The fast bowler’s six-wicket burst to pulverise a strong England batting order was one of the best by an operator of his kind seen on Indian soil for a long time.
One will soon run out of superlatives. Was it crafty? Kidding, what else! Was it relentless? You bet! Was he on the money all the time? Few can be this probing! Was he hostile? See those yorkers, not only the one that shattered Oliver Pope’s stumps! Was he unplayable? Not all the time, but most often! Was he the hero? No doubting that!
As we said earlier, this was fast bowling’s equivalent of hypnotism.
In a series dominated by talk of spin and three spinners for each side, Bumrah had made a massive mark in the first Test lost by India. Then, it seemed as if James Anderson’s sublime exhibition of seam and swing bowling was going to make it difficult for India in their bid to bounce back in the second Test. Crawley’s daredevilry complicated matters for India.
Then came a reckless shot from Crawley, and a great catch by Shryeas Iyer. In a masterstroke, Rohit Sharma brought Bumrah back when Joe Root walked in. He had confused the England stalwart to submission in Hyderabad.
The rest, for those saw it, was history. There was a hint of something special approaching when his minimal deviation away from the right-hander raised expectations. Then he hit the edge, beat the edge, hit the toes and unsettled them. The hallmark was there was no aggro oozing out of his body. He made them hop and dance to his tune and made them surrender in the calmest manner possible. You will not see this kind of silent domination by a fast bowler in such conditions.
The extraordinary part was Bumrah kept going. Fast bowlers usually get exhausted after a fanatic burst, especially in this kind of weather. Bumrah peaked and kept peaking. This was unbelievable. It would have been acceptable had he gotten tired and gone back to the outfield, gloating over what he had already done. He just kept coming and coming until the job was done.
There are bowlers who take wickets, run through a side and there are bowlers who shatter confidence. This Bumrah burst had it all. It was reverse-swing alright, but not many in the recent history of the game have used it to such telling effect in such a short span of time. This was art and craft of the highest order. He not only battered them into submission, but outthought them. And gave India a massive boost in Mission Revival.
IND vs ENG | Day 2: Live Match Discussion https://t.co/c5bsxIKiKF
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) February 3, 2024