IND vs ENG 2021: "Virat Kohli has used him superbly" - Dinesh Karthik on Jasprit Bumrah
Indian keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik dissected Jasprit Bumrah's incredible skills and how well Virat Kohli has brought the best out of the pacer. Bumrah's form was a slight concern leading up to the Test series against England. However, the right-arm seamer proved to be India's game-changer.
Jasprit Bumrah, with 18 wickets in seven innings at 20.83 apiece, is the second-highest wicket-taker in the series. The 27-year old delivered impactful bowling spells, starting with the first morning at Trent Bridge and the final days at Lord's and the Oval.
Dinesh Karthik stated that Bumrah plans on outsmarting the batsmen constantly and lauded his usage by the Indian skipper. Karthik observed that Virat Kohli hadn't tired the speedster out by overusing him, allowing him to be penetrative and sharp.
"Jasprit Bumrah is a proper fast bowler; he hates batsmen, he doesn’t rate them at all. An amiable young man, he is consumed by white-line fever but composed enough not to lose sight of the larger picture. Virat Kohli has used him superbly throughout the series, bringing him on at key moments – before the end of sessions or when a new batsman arrives. Bumrah is capable of bowling seven-eight overs on the go, but Virat has resisted that temptation and used him as a trump card, allowing him to remain sharp and fast at all stages," Karthik wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, raising questions about his form. However, the Ahmedabad-born speedster shone on the first morning of the opening Test in Nottingham, taking a fifer. The 27-year old's spell on a flat wicket on day five at the Oval was vital to India's 157-run win.
Jasprit Bumrah has great air speed, a fabulous wrist and can bowl yorkers at will: Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik reckons that Jasprit Bumrah is Virat Kohli's weapon when the ball starts to reverse as he can fire plenty of unplayable deliveries. The right-handed batsman believes Bumrah is as good as Wasim Akram, who could swing the ball both ways and bowl a textbook yorker.
"When the ball starts to reverse, Virat Kohli doesn’t have to look beyond Bumrah. He has great air speed, a fabulous wrist and can bowl yorkers at will. Crucially, he can bowl yorkers with the new ball too, and because he is slightly open-chested, he is able to get that both come in and leave the right-hander. The last bowler I can think of who could swing it both ways and bowl a mean yorker with a short run-up was Wasim Akram. Bumrah is in elite company," said Karthik.
India were denied a chance to seal the series in style after the Manchester Test was called off on Friday. The indefinite abandonment was caused due to a positive COVID-19 case in an Indian support staff member. Reports suggest that both the ECB and BCCI aim to reschedule the match next year.