"When someone is the leader of the pack, he wants to take the most wickets" - Sunil Gavaskar lauds Jasprit Bumrah's spell on Day 2 of 2nd IND-SA Test
Sunil Gavaskar reckons Jasprit Bumrah's urge to prove that he is the leader of India's bowling attack made him bowl a penetrative spell on Day 2 of the Cape Town Test.
Bumrah registered figures of 6/61 in 13.5 overs as India bundled out South Africa for 176 in their second innings on Thursday, January 4. The visitors then chased down the paltry 79-run fourth-innings target with seven wickets to spare to draw parity in the two-match series.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Gavaskar was asked about his thoughts on Bumrah's second-day spell, to which he responded:
"Jasprit Bumrah had to take wickets. You would have seen that (Mohammed) Siraj took six wickets in the first innings and Jasrpit Bumrah is a player who knew he had to do more. He is the leader of the pack."
The former India captain added:
"When someone is the leader of the pack, especially in the bowling department, he wants to take the most wickets. If he picks up five wickets and someone else takes five wickets, it's not a problem."
Gavaskar praised the unconventional seamer for making the required corrections to his length on Day 2. He explained:
"However, if he picks up four wickets and someone else takes six wickets, then he would feel that he hasn't done his job as a leader of the pack. So he was looking for this opportunity. He probably bowled a little short yesterday (Day 1) but today (Day 2) he found a very good length and he got six wickets resultantly."
While Mohammed Siraj returned figures of 6/15 in South Africa's first innings, Bumrah accounted for only two dismissals. The latter made up for it with a six-wicket haul in the second essay to ensure India did not have to chase a challenging fourth-innings target.
"Bedingham played an ordinary shot" - Sunil Gavaskar on Jasprit Bumrah's dismissal of David Bedingham
![David Bedingham was caught behind off Jasprit Bumrah's bowling. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/f2c19-17044297709887-1920.jpg?w=500)
Sunil Gavaskar was further asked about Jasprit Bumrah setting the tone by dismissing David Bedingham in the first over of Day 2, to which he replied:
"Bedingham played an ordinary shot. It was the first over and there was no need to play on the rise. However, when it's a pitch like this, their camp might have decided to play positively and try to play shots, and he got out in that attempt."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Bumrah's perfect lengths and variations yielded him rich dividends. He said:
"The length around the six-meter mark Bumrah bowled at can prove very dangerous. In between, he also used the bouncer very well. So with the variation he brought in, he didn't give any chance to the batters."
While Bumrah predominantly operated from the Kelvin Grove End in South Africa's first innings, Siraj made hay from the Wynberg End. Bumrah was introduced into the attack from the Wynberg End, which was affording more bounce on Day 2, and he made the most of it.