"The real showstealer is BoomBall"- Ravichandran Ashwin hails Jasprit Bumrah for 'Himalayan feat' in India's Test series against England
Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised star speedster Jasprit Bumrah for his sensational performance in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam.
Bumrah took nine wickets in the match and ensured that India won the game by a massive margin of 106 runs to level the series. Ashwin coined the term 'BoomBall' for Bumrah's stunning performance and also congratulated the pacer for becoming the No. 1 ranked Test bowler.
In a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Ravichandran Ashwin had to say about Jasprit Bumrah (0:15):
"The real showstealer is BoomBall. Jasprit Bumrah has bowled extraordinarily. He is the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets and also the No.1 ranked Test bowler. I am a huge fan of his and this is a Himalayan feat."
Ashwin also lauded Shubman Gill for scoring a fantastic hundred under pressure, allowing India to post a mammoth target of 399. On this, he added (1:38):
"There's no doubt about the amount of talent that Shubman Gill has. But the hundred justified just the kind of armor he had as a batter."
Jasprit Bumrah also became the only bowler in the history of the game to have achieved the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings across formats at least once.
Ravichandran Ashwin on India's 'extraordinary vibe' on Day 4 of the 2nd Test
England needed 332 runs to win the Visakhapatnam Test and had nine wickets in hand at the start of play on Day 4. While the match was evenly poised, Ravichandran Ashwin believes it was India's strong resolve and determination to get over the line that helped them beat the visitors.
On this, he stated (1:47):
"We came into the fourth day with it all being even-stevens. But our extraordinary vibe, energy and team performance helped us level the series 1-1."
He added (0:53):
"England played an exciting Ashes series against Australia in 2005 and I followed that with great interest. I am getting a similar feeling of excitement about this series as well."
The third Test of the ongoing series between the two teams will begin on February 15 at Rajkot. Ashwin hasn't been at his best in the series so far, but the veteran off-spinner is on 499 Test wickets and will be keen to get past the 500-wicket milestone and help India take a lead in the series.