"We felt that he and I should both go fuller" - Jasprit Bumrah on bowling in tandem with Mohammad Shami at the Oval
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami starred with the ball as Team India thrashed England by 10 wickets in the 1st ODI at the Oval in London on Tuesday (July 12).
India's new-ball bowlers were on fire after Rohit Sharma opted to field first on an overcast morning. Bumrah was the first to draw blood, removing Jason Roy and Joe Root in the second over.
After that, it was all about India's pacers as they reduced England to 26/5. Both Bumrah and Shami made full use of the conditions on offer to trouble the English batters.
One day cricket or Test cricket, no better pair in world cricket. Bumrah and Shami are a class apart . #INDvsENG https://t.co/p4Zu2nd7FH
Speaking about the conversations with his bowling partner, Bumrah said at the post-match presentation ceremony:
"As soon as he (Shami) bowled his first over, we had a conversation that he could go a touch fuller as well. We felt that he and I should both go fuller and we got our rewards."
Shami is generally perceived to be unlucky, having missed the batters' edge on multiple occasions. Bumrah revealed that he jokes that Shami will pick up a lot of wickets whenever he beats the bat. He added:
"Very happy for him - he got a lot of wickets as well. When he beats the bat, I tell him that there will be a day that he will run through the lineup."
Jasprit Bumrah eventually returned with figures of 6/19 while Shami scalped 3/31. Prasidh Krishna also chipped in with one wicket to bowl out England for 110 runs.
In response, Rohit (76*) and Shikhar Dhawan (31*) took the visitors home convincingly with 31.2 overs to spare.
"When there's swing, you don't have to try too much" - Jasprit Bumrah on bowling at the Oval
Sachin Tendulkar heaps praise on Jasprit Bumrah 🙌🇮🇳
#JaspritBumrah #SachinTendulkar #IndianCricketTeam #ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/wODLW9XPwW
It was a bowler's paradise at the Oval on Tuesday with the ball seaming and swinging, making it difficult for the batters.
Bumrah highlighted that there is not much to try when the wicket has to offer some assistance. He continued:
"Just going through the routine in the warmups - when you bowl with the new ball you try to search for swing. When there's no swing you pull your length back but we saw there was swing for a long time."
He added:
"When there's swing, you don't have to try too much, you just have to put it in the right areas and let the ball take over. When it's flat, that's when you have to be a lot more accurate. When it swings, the ball does all the talking."
Jasprit Bumrah will hope to keep the momentum going when India locks horns with England in the second game of the series at Lord's Thursday (July 14).