"He understands the bowlers very well" - Jasprit Bumrah reveals chat with Rohit Sharma about plans and adjustments in 1st IND vs BAN 2024 Test
India's ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah gave some insights into his planning with skipper Rohit Sharma and the various adjustments he made throughout his brilliant four-wicket haul against Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai on Friday.
Playing after a three-month break, in the Chennai heat, Bumrah bowled 11 overs in short, mostly three-overs-long spells. He drew first blood by rattling Shadman Islam's stumps on his sixth ball. He then dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim in the 13th over and came back to clean up two tail-enders as India bowled Bangladesh out for 149.
"He (Rohit) understands the bowlers very well," Bumrah said (via Times of India). "The weather was harsh, and everyone is coming back after a while - we're playing a Test match after some time, so everyone needs to get into the groove. The chat was about short spells to make them effective. We have fast bowlers who want to bowl fast and spinners who can create an impact. When the ball is new, the seam is hard, and there is some lateral movement, so we wanted to capitalize on that."
Bumrah said the team adjusted their plans on the go according to the pitch.
"The plan wasn't necessarily to bowl fuller because there was no consistent swing. Some balls swung, and some didn't. So, we quickly adjusted angles, and I came around the wicket. But yes, with the new ball, there was some assistance, and we focused on that," he said.
Other pacers, too, bowled in short spells. Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep supported him with two wickets each while Ravindra Jadeja also picked two scalps in just eight overs. Ravichandran Ashwin bowled the most overs, 13, after his century in the previous innings but couldn't pick up a wicket.
"I used one of those tactics that I've used in domestic cricket" - Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah also spoke about using his variations and even opting for bouncers, which he doesn't usually, to counter the flatness of the Day-two track.
"I had no other option because when I tried to bowl a length ball, the ball wasn't doing anything, and the ball wasn't reversing either. So, I had to try something because, as a bowler, you have to experiment when there's not much happening. There was no grip on the wicket, so I used one of those tactics that I've used in domestic cricket as well. It worked today, and that experience helped me out."
He added:
"In Test cricket, I don't usually bowl as many bouncers. Given the weather was harsh and I'm just getting back into Test cricket, I had to make adjustments. The ball had become wet because of sweat, and the seam was also wet. So, I had to use different options to get a wicket and make run-scoring difficult. These are things you learn as a lower-order batter too."
India ended the day with 81/3 on the board and a lead of 308 runs. Catch all the live action from Day 3 here.