Jasprit Bumrah played a crucial role in India’s 106-run triumph against England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, securing a nine-wicket haul. The vice-captain of the Indian team provided valuable insights into his match-winning performance, highlighting his strategic approach and adaptability to the prevailing match situations and pitch conditions.
He also said that there was no competition and England pace spearhead James Anderson, who also put on a good show in the opening Test.
“No, not really. Before becoming a cricketer, I’m a fast bowling fan. If somebody’s doing well, kudos to them. I look at the situation, at the wicket and think about what my options are. I should not be a one-trick pony,” said Bumrah after winning the player of the match award.
Bumrah’s well-executed yorker to dismiss Ollie Pope in the first innings drew significant attention. Reflecting on this, Bumrah said that the yorker was the first delivery he learned while growing up, drawing inspiration from cricketing legends like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, and Zaheer Khan.
“As a youngster, that is the first delivery I learned (yorker). I had seen the legends of the game, Waqar, Wasim, and even Zaheer Khan,” he added.
On his role as the vice-captain of the team, he said: “We’re going through a transition, so I feel it’s my responsibility to help them in any way I can. We discuss certain things. I have been playing with him (Rohit) for a long period of time.”
Meanwhile, India captain, Rohit Sharma, praised Bumrah for his outstanding performance with the ball, stating, “He is a champion player for us (Bumrah). He has been for a while. He keeps doing the job for the team.”
Rohit also commended Yashasvi Jaiswal for his double century in the first innings, stating, “He looks like a good player, understands his game really well. Long way to go for him, has got a lot to offer for our team. Hope he stays humble.”
Rohit, however, criticised other Indian batters for not converting their starts into big scores. Despite this, he acknowledged that it’s a young team that needs time to gain experience.
“The wicket was really good to bat on. If I have to point out anything, a lot of the batters got starts but couldn’t get a big score. But I understand they’re young and new to the game. It’s important for us to give them confidence. Very proud of such a young squad to come up against a team like that. Many of the guys are quite young in terms of playing this form of the game. It’ll take some time to be absolutely spot on. I want them to play freely without any pressure,” he remarked.
In pursuit of 399, England ended their fourth-innings effort with a total of 292, marking the second-highest score ever achieved by a visiting team in the fourth innings of a Test match in India.
Ben Stokes, the England skipper, expressed his unwavering belief in the team’s ability to chase down the target. “Entering this last innings, we had full belief in ourselves that we’d chase it down. In moments like that, in games with scoreboard pressure, that’s where we get the best out of ourselves. Another great game to be a part of,” he observed.
When questioned about England’s aggressive batting approach, Stokes highlighted that there were no predetermined instructions on how to play. He highlighted the quality of every player in the dressing room, emphasising their ability to assess conditions and make strategic decisions accordingly.
“There’s no suggestion whatsoever about how to play. Everyone in the dressing room is a quality player. They are good enough to go out there and assess the conditions, and decide how to go about it.”
In the absence of Jack Leach, England’s most experienced spinner, the team opted for three young and relatively inexperienced spinners, boasting a combined total of only six Tests. Despite leading an inexperienced spin attack, Stokes is relishing the challenge.
“I absolutely loved it, captaining the three young spinners. To witness the performance they delivered yesterday was incredible. They showed a lot of maturity beyond their years,” he asserted.
The next match of the five-game Test series will be played in Rajkot.