"Rohit Sharma was proactive after Zak Crawley's wicket" - Zaheer Khan praises Indian captain for Jasprit Bumrah's intoduction
Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan credited Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for using fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah at the right time during Day 2 of the ongoing Test against England in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, February 3.
As soon as the hosts dismissed Zak Crawley, Rohit brought Bumrah back into the attack. Despite being hit for four boundaries in an over in his previous spell, Bumrah unleashed a lethal second spell to put India right on top.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Zaheer Khan shed light on how Rohit Sharma's game awareness helped India unleash the best of Jasprit Bumrah. He said:
"The move to bring back Jasprit Bumrah was a well-calculated move. Rohit was proactive after Zak Crawley's wicket fell and he was aware enough to know that Root has just walked in, and Ollie Pope has done the damage in the previous innings, so bring in your best bowler, create the opportunity and Bumrah reacted beautifully to that opportunity."
In that incredible second spell, Bumrah dismissed both Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, caught by Shubman Gill in the slip cordon. Sandwiched between the two dismissals was an absolute peach of an inswinging yorker that rattled Ollie Pope's stumps.
You knew something was going to happen: Zaheer Khan on Jasprit Bumrah's spell
Zaheer Khan almost sensed that Jasprit Bumrah was going to get India some breakthroughs given the way the latter started his second spell. The former cricketer lauded Bumrah for the rhythm with which he bowled and stated:
"The moment Bumrah started that spell, you knew that something was going to happen. The reverse swing was on offer and Bumrah - we know - what he can do once there is any swing on offer. He picked up his pace with every delivery and he was in that moment to make sure that the breakthrough happened for him and that resulted in a big wicket."
Bumrah became the fastest Indian pacer to 150 Test wickets and the second-fastest among Asian pacers, behind Waqar Younis. His spell of 6/45 has put the hosts in a really strong position with a first-innings lead of 143 runs.