IND v ENG 2021: Jasprit Bumrah's top 3 Test spells
Jasprit Bumrah stood at fine leg as he sauntered across, the crowd was cheering him on, he closed his eyes, he took deep breaths, slowed his pace down and then looked ahead. This after he had plucked out Dan Lawrence in the previous over and he understood that he needed to stay in the present to get the job done for his side.
In the World Test Championship final, Jasprit Bumrah looked off-colour. He kept pounding in, but had no success and as is the want, he was written off.
Jasprit Bumrah smiled it off and charged in here at Nottingham, picked up four wickets in the first innings and finished England off with a five-wicket haul in the second to put India in the ascendancy.
Here we take a look at the best Jasprit Bumrah spells in Test cricket:
#3 4 For 56 Against Australia, Melbourne 2020
India were bundled out for 36 in the previous Test in Adelaide and the side needed someone to wriggle off the humiliation and put up a fight. Jasprit Bumrah stepped up and put in a superb effort as he picked up four wickets in the first innings for just 56 runs in his 16-over spell.
India were asked to bowl first and it backfired spectacularly as Australia were knocked over for 195 in the first innings. Jasprit Bumrah then came up with two important wickets even in the second innings, including the wicket of Steven Smith, as India produced a stunning win.
#2 5 for 54 vs South Africa, Johannesburg 2018
On a treacherous Wanderers surface, India batted first and were tormented by the South African bowling attack as they were bundled out for 187. The side had already lost the series and were playing for pride and for asserting the fact that they were no pushovers in overseas conditions.
And then stepped up Jasprit Bumrah, who was playing in his debut Test series. He extracted a lot of assistance from the pitch and reduced the South African batting order to its knees, ending with his first five-wicket haul figures of five for 54 in 19 overs.
India set South Africa a target of 241 runs. Jasprit Bumrah picked up a couple of wickets as Mohammed Shami wreaked havoc with his own five-wicket haul as India won the match by 63 runs.
#1 5 for 64 vs England, Trent Bridge 2021
Jasprit Bumrah could argue he has bowled better spells, but this one ranks higher as it came after his wretched match in the World Test Championship final. In the first innings he picked up four wickets in conditions which were favorable to the swinging ball. He pitched the ball up and allowed it to move in the air and off the surface.
However, on day four, the pitch settled down and the sun was out and there was no real assistance from the conditions that forced him to pull his length back and use the pitch a lot more. This is where his skills shone as he bagged a five-wicket haul.
Length balls nicked off batsmen, full balls troubled the tail and an inch-perfect yorker accounted for Stuart Broad - it was the perfect Test spell by India's pace spearhead.