"It reminded me of Mitchell Starc's yorker to Ben Stokes" - Aakash Chopra lauds Jasprit Bumrah's dismissal of Mahmudullah in IND vs BAN clash
Aakash Chopra has lauded Jasprit Bumrah for bowling an immaculate yorker to rattle Mahmudullah's stumps in India's World Cup 2023 win against Bangladesh.
Bumrah registered figures of 2/41 in 10 overs as the Men in Blue restricted the Bangla Tigers to 256/8 after they opted to bat first in Pune on Thursday, October 19. Rohit Sharma and company then chased down the below-par target with seven wickets and 51 deliveries to spare to register their fourth consecutive win.
Reflecting on India's bowling in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised Bumrah for castling Mahmudullah with a precise yorker. He elaborated (5:50):
"I will talk about Bumrah first. He bowled a yorker to Mahmudullah - everyone including Mahmudullah knew a yorker was coming, he was in the 40s and batting well, but the bat did not come down and the ball hit the stumps. When was the last time you saw such a thing?"
The former India opener added:
"It rarely happens that a batter knows a yorker is coming but is still unable to stop the ball. You generally get out to yorkers when you are trying to play a big shot but here the bat didn't come down at all. It reminded me of Mitchell Starc's yorker to Ben Stokes from the last World Cup."
Mushfiqur Rahim, who was brilliantly caught by Ravindra Jadeja at point, was Bumrah's first victim. The unconventional pacer then rocked back a well-set Mahmudullah's stumps in the final over of the Bangladesh innings.
"There is no doubt Jasprit Bumrah will be this tournament's highest wicket-taker" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra expects Jasprit Bumrah to finish as the tournament's most successful bowler. He said (6:25):
"There is no doubt Jasprit Bumrah will be this tournament's highest wicket-taker. He is the best in the world and he is showing why he is so good. He was absolutely sensational."
The renowned commentator also praised Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav for striking crucial blows in the middle overs. He stated:
"The catch KL Rahul took diving to his left, he made us feel as though he is a proper keeper. Mohammed Siraj again didn't start that well with the new ball. Ravindra Jadeja hit the ball on Najmul Hossain Shanto's pads and dismissed Litton Das as well. Kuldeep Yadav also picked up a wicket."
Kuldeep gave India their first breakthrough by dismissing Tanzid Hasan after a 93-run opening partnership. Jadeja picked up two crucial wickets, took a sensational catch, and conceded only 38 runs in his 10-over spell.