"Bumrah's ability to tear through an opposition in any part of the world sets him apart, he reminds me of Dale Steyn" - Kevin Pietersen
Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen heaped praise on Jasprit Bumrah after witnessing his breathtaking spell(6-3-6-2) of reverse swing bowling on the second session of the fifth day of The Oval Test.
The pitch was highly unresponsive on Day 5, but the Indians maintained the ball well in the first session, and Jadeja also assisted in the process by bowling consistently in the rough.
Bumrah did not let the hard work of his peers go in vain. He produced a spell for the ages and flummoxed the English middle-order between lunch and tea to give India the definitive edge in the game.
Kevin Pietersen was highly impressed with Jasprit Bumrah's fiery spell. He also drew comparisons between Bumrah and Steyn.
In his blog for Betway, Kevin Pietersen wrote:
"He can build long spells, but also bowl with intensity, accuracy, pace and discipline. In that sense, he reminds me of Dale Steyn, who announced his retirement last week. Steyn, for me, is the greatest fast bowler of all time, largely because he did it in all conditions.
"Bumrah might never hit the heights of Steyn, but his ability to tear through an opposition in any part of the world sets him apart."
Jasprit Bumrah cleaned up Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow in the post-lunch session to open the flood gates, and from there, it was all India. All the other bowlers chipped in with wickets to help India clinch the win by 157 runs.
Bumrah's spell on Day 5 pitch at The Oval proved why he is the best fast bowler in the world: Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen then went on to term Bumrah as the best fast bowler in the world. He felt that the Indian pacer backed his reputation through his match-defining spell at The Oval.
"Jasprit Bumrah’s spell on the fifth afternoon at The Oval won India the Test match, put them in charge of the series and proved why he is the best fast bowler in the world.
"He’s just fantastic, there’s no element of his game that isn’t quite as strong as the rest," Pietersen said.
Courtesy of his wickets on Day 5, Jasprit Bumrah also became the fastest Indian pacer to reach 100 wickets in Test cricket. He reached the milestone in 24 matches, breaking legendary Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev's record (25 Tests).