India’s wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik lauded Jasprit Bumrah’s spell on the third day’s spell in England’s second innings on Saturday. Bumrah got the ball to reverse as he was right on the money. The Indian gun fast bowler had plumbed Ben Duckett in the front of the wickets but unfortunately didn’t take the review.
However, Bumrah was able to get rid of Duckett in the next over with a delivery coming into the left-hander. Subsequently, Bumrah plumbed Joe Root in front of the wickets.
In the later stage of the day, Bumrah also accounted for Rehan Ahmed. The Indian spearhead ended Ollie Pope’s marathon knock of 196 as he bamboozled him with a slower ball. Bumrah returned with impressive figures of 4-41 in the second innings and he was the pick of the Indian bowlers.
Dinesh Karthik said while talking to Cricbuzz, “I don’t like to use the word great too easily. But I am not shy calling Jasprit Bumrah a modern-day great, without a doubt. What he brings to the table in any format is par excellence. As a captain, he is the dream bowler. You need a big batsman out, give the ball to Bumrah; he has an attitude to say, ‘I want to bowl against him.’ There’s nothing happening and the pitch is dead, he will find a way to give you the best in his spell.”
Karthik compared Bumrah’s reverse swing to Pakistan greats like Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis.
“In reverse swing, to bring the ball back in is an art, which Siraj and a lot of other bowlers do. But to take the ball away for a right-hander, not many people can do it. If you do jog your mind, you think about Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis.”
Karthik said there are a few bowlers who could get the ball to swing both ways and Bumrah did that with great consistency.
“Very few people could do it both ways. That’s what made him (Bumrah) so special. James Anderson has done it. In fact, there are very few bowlers who could do it at the same pace, and Bumrah is one of those.”
England scored 420 runs in the second innings after a magnum opus of 196 runs from Ollie Pope and thus India needs 231 runs to win the opening Test.
