Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Jasprit Bumrah's sensational spell in 2nd Test vs England ft. Stuart Broad
Star Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah once again proved why he was considered one of the best-ever fast bowlers with a sensational spell of reverse swing against England on Day 2 of the ongoing Test in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
Bumrah claimed figures of 6/45 and also became the fastest Indian pacer to breach the 150-wicket mark in Tests (34 games). His wickets included a searing inswinger to Ollie Pope that rattled the right-hander's stumps, with the clip going viral on social media.
Cricket pundits also couldn't stop praising Jasprit Bumrah for his effectiveness and his sensational six-fer. Here are some of their reactions:
#5 Pragyan Ojha
Pragyan Ojha was surprised with the amount of movement Jasprit Bumrah was able to produce with his reverse swing, given how good the pitch was for batting in Visakhapatnam.
Crediting the Indian pacer for his fine skillset, here's what the former left-arm spinner said on Jio Cinema:
"You need to first see the conditions and the wicket. Before the series, we were discussing that fast bowlers would bowl short spells and expecting them to pick up one or two wickets. However, here he single-handedly changed the course of the match, which is praiseworthy. The first four wickets he took, he broke England's entire backbone."
Ojha also had special praise for the way Bumrah reversed the ball both ways to cause enough confusion in the minds of the England batters.
#4 Aakash Chopra
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra was amazed to see England captain Ben Stokes' reaction to being cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah. Chopra feels it was a testament to the great bowler that Bumrah is.
Here's what he said in a video on his YouTube channel:
"Jasprit Bumrah did an amazing job. Ben Stokes' expression was as though Jasprit Bumrah had cheated when he got out. It was as though he didn't see the ball after it pitched and it went straight and hit his stumps - 'I don't want to keep this bat, keep it with you'. That was something incredible."
Chopra also praised Bumrah for the other wickets that the speedster picked and believes the video of him rattling Ollie Pope's stumps could be used as a 'digital collectible'.
#3 RP Singh
Former Indian pacer RP Singh claimed that Jasprit Bumrah's incredible skills made it possible for him to pick up six wickets on a surface that seemed good for batting.
Stating that Bumrah could be getting closer to being an all-time great of the game, here's what RP Singh told Cricbuzz:
"The pitch looked like one that would see the match go on for five days. On such a pitch with reverse-swing on offer, Bumrah did everything that a fast bowler should do right to be successful. He is close to becoming an all-time great."
RP Singh also shed light on how Bumrah's achievements and his skills have given the viewers a belief that the fast bowler can make things happen, no matter what the pitch or who the opposition is.
#2 Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook believes Jasprit Bumrah's spell single-handedly put India in the ascendancy in the second Test. He felt Zak Crawley's wicket was the moment where the momentum shifted in India's favor and then Bumrah just didn't let the England batters breathe easy.
Here's what Cook said on TNT Sports:
"Bumrah has carried India through today and has single-handedly changed the course of this game. Bumrah jumped in and ripped the heart out of the England batting line-up. Root was first to go, Pope to an unplayable in-swinging yorker, Bairstow and Stokes too falling to Bumrah. He has changed the game."
Cook did face Bumrah towards the twilight of his career, but the former England captain claimed that he had never faced the pacer with such a lethal rhythm.
#1 Stuart Broad
Former England pacer Stuart Broad hailed Jasprit Bumrah for the way the Indian pacer dominated star batter Joe Root. Bumrah has dismissed Root a staggering eight times in Tests, with the latest instance being on Day 2 in Visakhapatnam.
In his column for The Daily Mail, Stuart Broad opened up on why he never liked facing Bumrah. He wrote:
"If someone as good as Joe Root is habitually struggling with a particular bowler, you can bet your bottom dollar that every batter on the Test scene will be. Facing him isn't like facing anyone else in the world and I used to hate it. Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, with his slingy round-arm release, had that point of difference about him and Bumrah has something similar in that his deliveries are incredibly hard to pick up."
Broad credited Bumrah for the way the latter set up Joe Root and other England batters and just kept them guessing about which way the ball would reverse.