"All cylinders firing" - Abhishek Nayar opines on Jasprit Bumrah's comeback outing
Former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar was glad to see Jasprit Bumrah in rhythm during the first T20I against Ireland in Dublin on Friday. Nayar opined that it was heartening to witness the right-arm pacer bring out all the variations in his repertoire.
Bumrah, serving as captain in his first match since September 2022, was spot-on from the get-go. He took the new ball, dismissing Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker in the opening over of the innings to set things up for India.
Speaking on Jio Cinema, the 39-year-old reflected that Bumrah didn't look at his best but kept gaining rhythm as he bowled. He said:
"Good to see Bumrah back, all cylinders firing. You didn't see the best of Bumrah, but you did see all the variations that you will always associate with Bumrah. That's always heartening. You saw he was clocking around the 140kph toward the end of his spell, getting his rhythm. Seeing him bowl the off-cutters, the hard lengths and the yorkers, it's the ideal way for Bumrah to get back to his rhythm."
Curtis Campher, who scored a critical 39, had the Indian captain's number in his third over, smashing a six and a four. Eventually, the Ahmedabad-born cricketer finished with figures of 4-0-24-2.
"His run-up has gone a bit longer" - Abhishek Nayar on Jasprit Bumrah
Nayar predicted that Bumrah's pace would only increase with time and felt he did a commendable job overall.
"I noticed one thing, his run-up has gone a bit longer," he said. "But the way he ran in to bowl, it seems as if he is in a very good rhythm. He ran at very good pace and even the follow-through was very good. I think the pace, it will increase as he plays more matches. All in all, I am very happy with Bumrah, the bowler and the captain."
The Men in Blue edged Ireland out by two runs via the DLS method to go 1-0 up in the series.