"Jasprit Bumrah is phenomenal but what are the others doing" - Aakash Chopra questions India's spin bowling in England's 2nd innings of the 1st Test
Aakash Chopra has praised Jasprit Bumrah for bowling a phenomenal spell in England's second innings of the first Test against India in Hyderabad. On the flip side, he has questioned the Indian spinners for their lack of potency.
England posted 420 runs in their second innings despite Bumrah registering figures of 4/41 in 16.1 overs. The visitors then bundled Rohit Sharma and company out for 202 on Day 4 (Sunday) to complete a stunning 28-run win.
Reflecting on the fourth day's play in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted the contrasting returns of Bumrah and the other Indian bowlers. He elaborated (2:20):
"Bumrah picked up four wickets. It was the fourth day of a Test match in India where the talk was about the turn, there your fast bowler picked up four wickets, and six wickets in the entire match. You had superior spin but the opposing spinners took 18 Indian wickets and the Indian spinners could take only 14 wickets."
"In the second innings, the Indian spinners could pick up only six wickets. That was a bit of a problem in my opinion. Jasprit Bumrah is phenomenal, there is no doubt about that, but what are the others doing - that's a question," the former India opener added.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel picked up six wickets and conceded 331 runs in the 79 overs they bowled in England's second innings. Mohammed Siraj went wicketless in the seven overs he bowled in the second essay.
"The Indian team were thinking that 230 is not that big a score" - Aakash Chopra on the hosts' defensive field settings
![Ollie Pope (left) added crucial runs with the lower-order batters. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/0e055-17064980451628-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra also questioned India's defensive field placements on the fourth morning. He said (1:45):
"The Indian team were thinking that 230 is not that big a score. That's why, they allowed singles to be taken easily. The mid-on and mid-off were back and everyone was waiting for a wicket to fall. They waited before taking the new ball as well."
The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that England could have been even more dominant had they fared better in their first innings. He stated:
"The opposing team showed that they can take you on. They would think that if they had played better in the first innings, they could have troubled India even more. They did this after conceding a lead of 190 runs."
Chopra praised Ollie Pope for his 196-run knock and the unconventional shots he played. He also appreciated Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley for providing excellent support to the Player of the Match, highlighting that India's field settings also helped the lower-order batters' cause.