[Watch] Jasprit Bumrah takes 2 wickets in his first over back in IND vs IRE 1st T20I
Team India skipper Jasprit Bumrah made a superb comeback to international cricket, striking twice in the first over of the first T20I against Ireland at The Village on Friday, August 18.
There was much hype about Bumrah's return to competitive cricket after spending almost 11 months on the sidelines due to a lower back injury that needed surgery.
There were concerns about his fitness but the ace fast bowler showed no signs of jittery nerves and struck twice to give the Men in Blue a brilliant start. After being hit for a boundary in the first delivery, Jasprit Bumrah got the better of Andrew Balbirnie with a big inswinger.
It was a wide delivery that came back sharply, cutting the Irish opener into two halves. Balbirnie went for an extravagant drive and could only find an inside edge only for the ball to crash onto the stumps.
Watch the clip here:
Bumrah backed it up with another wicket a few balls later. Lorcan Tucker went for an extravagant scoop over the wicketkeeper but failed to get the timing right. It lobbed straight into the hands of Sanju Samson.
Watch the clip here:
It has been an excellent return for Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up two wickets from five deliveries. He bowled two overs in his first spell, returning with 2/10.
Reeling at 4/2, Paul Stirling tried to resurrect the Ireland innings alongside Harry Tector. But India struck once again to dismiss both the batters, with the hosts tottering at 27/4 in 5.2 overs.
"We expect nothing short of a fight from Ireland" - Jasprit Bumrah
In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah has been handed the leadership qualities for the three-match Ireland series.
Speaking at the toss, the ace pacer asserted that he is looking forward to three games and expects some sort of a fight from Ireland.
"We'll bowl first, very happy to be here. The weather looks lovely. I feel good, looking forward to play some cricket. You realise what you were missing, very happy to be back. We expect nothing short of a fight from Ireland. As a fast bowler, I hope the pitch does something," Bumrah said.
The ongoing series will be a massive opportunity for the fringe players to perform and stake their claim in the Indian side.