Ravichandran Ashwin and R Sridhar share the backstory to Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah's Long Room reception
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami received a rousing reception from their team in the Long Room at Lord's. India were in a precarious position with a lead of just 167 when Rishabh Pant was dismissed on Day 5. Ishant Sharma was the next to go with the score at 209, and the lead still an uneasy 182. Bumrah and Shami then stitched together an unbeaten 89-run stand to virtually bat England out of the match.
When the two tailenders returned to the dressing room at lunch, they received a standing ovation from the entire Indian contingent, who came to the Long Room to applaud their efforts.
For the uninitiated, the Long Room at Lord's is an area on the way to the dressing room. According to new rules induced by the pandemic, only players from both teams and legends of the game now have access to the area. Previously, members of the cricket club were allowed in the room as well.
Ravichandran Ashwin took to his YouTube channel to explain exactly what went on behind the scenes before the reception. Joined by fielding coach R Sridhar, the ace spinner revealed that it was Virat Kohli who asked everyone to come down to welcome the duo. Ashwin said:
"When we realized they were going to come in at lunch, Virat came and said, 'Everyone of us is going down to cheer and welcome the boys. The noise has to be so huge that it has to reverberate in Lord's for years to come.' "
Ashwin and Sridhar suggested that the welcome was so boisterous that the English players never came out for lunch in the shared area.
Bumrah's setup to Robinson was a stroke of genius: R Ashwin
After his heroics with the bat, Jasprit Bumrah rode the high and provided a key early breakthrough in the very first over of the England innings by dismissing opener Rory Burns. Mohammad Shami piled the pressure on the hosts and sent Dom Sibley packing in the next over, giving India just the start they needed.
However, Jos Buttler and Ollie Robinson provided some resistance and did their best to frustrate India. But it was Bumrah who came out on top, again.
Ashwin labeled Bumrah's plan for the slower ball from round the wicket to Robinson as 'a stroke of genius'. The off-spinner said that while he anticipated the slower ball after a couple of sharp bouncers, he couldn't understand the thought process behind going round the wicket.
On asking Bumrah about the delivery later on, the Mumbai Indians pacer said:
"Ollie defended me well from over the wicket, so I knew that he got used to the angle and hence I came round the wicket."
Bumrah has often been classified as a T20 specialist. But the way he plotted Robinson's dismissal shows that he is skillful enough to be a great in all formats of the game.