"No one expected Jasprit Bumrah to play this way"- Wasim Jaffer on Indian captain's carnage on Day 2 of Birmingham Test
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer was pleasantly surprised to see India's stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah smash Stuart Broad all over the park with the bat on day 2 of the ongoing Test at Edgbaston. Broad conceded a record 35 runs in that over to hold the unwanted record for the costliest over bowled in Test history.
The veteran English pacer kept on peppering Bumrah with short deliveries, but the pacer was waiting on the back foot to just free his arms and deposit them into the boundary.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Jaffer expressed his happiness at seeing Bumrah score 29 runs with his bat in that over, breaking the long-standing record set by the great Brian Lara. The West Indies legend had scored 28 runs in an over against left-arm spinner Robin Peterson.
He said:
"(On whether Bumrah's batting was the biggest surprise of the Test) Yes, no one expected Bumrah to play this way, especially scoring 35 runs in an over. So yes he really surprised everyone by breaking the record of the legendary Brian Lara."
The day belongs to Jasprit Bumrah. https://t.co/DXftP09Epe
Ravindra Jadeja played his best Test knock against England: Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer also believes Ravindra Jadeja's 104 on Day 2 was his best knock in the longest format of the game. The all-rounder paced his innings really well and formed that important partnership with Rishabh Pant to rescue India from a precarious situation.
He stated:
"(On whether this was Jadeja's best Test knock) Yes, if you keep the conditions in mind and also the importance of this Test match then yes I definitely feel so."
Test batting average since July 2017:
Ravindra Jadeja - 46.74
David Warner - 45.76
Test bowling average since July 2017:
Ravindra Jadeja - 26.31
Mitchell Starc - 26.98
#ENGvIND
Jaffer claimed that if India get a good start on Day 3, they will be in the driver's seat to win the game. He added:
"(On whether despite the rain, India will win the Test) Yes, if the first session on Day 3 goes India's way, then I feel India can win the Test match."
England's hopes of making a fightback rely heavily on captain Ben Stokes and the swashbuckling Jonny Bairstow. The hosts are currently reeling at 84/5 and trailing by 332 runs.