Indian cricket’s ‘Speed God’, Jasprit Bumrah, made a blistering return in the third Test match at the iconic Lord’s stadium after being benched in the Edgbaston Test. India performed greatly even without their star bowler during the 2nd Test match. Bumrah, who claimed the fourth 5-wicket haul in England and his maiden at Lord’s, now finds mentions on the ‘Board of Honours’ alongside former England captain Joe Root, who was ultimately dismissed by the Indian speedster after a crucial century on day 2. After the play of day 2, Jasprit Bumrah shared some light-hearted moments during the press conference.
“The ball changes, I don’t really control that. Obviously, I don’t want to lose out on money because I work very hard and play a lot of overs. So, I don’t want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted,” former India Test captain giggled when asked about the Dukes ball’s frequent replacement during the post-match press conference.
“More than the pitch, I think the ball is a bit different. Last time when i played here balls never used to get changed, it used to stay hard. Now obviously the wickets are hard and it’s summer that may have caused the ball to get soft,” He added.
Bumrah’s Booming Return
At least 5 times the ball was replaced yesterday, which raised my eyebrows over the Dukes ball that is used in England. He took 5 crucial wickets involving Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Chris Woakes, and newly returned Jofra Archer. The most interesting element in his spell was witnessed when he bowled out 4 out of his 5 claimed wickets, leaving just Chris Woakes caught behind the wickets by substitute wicket-keeper, Dhruv Jurel, in the absence of Rishabh Pant.
Match Summary Till Now
India managed to wrap up the English innings on 387 runs, with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mohammad Siraj claiming 2 wickets each. Ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also put 1 wicket in the bag for himself. Bumrah also donated his shoes to the MCC museum after taking his maiden 5-wicket haul at Lord’s. Currently, India is past 200 runs and is looking in good shape. The Indian deputy captain Rishabh Pant’s return to the side has significantly boosted the team’s performance.
