World Cup 2019: Jasprit Bumrah saves the day for Virat Kohli yet again

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It was the 27th over of the chase. Afghanistan were on their way. For Virat Kohli and India, this was not how this match was supposed to go down. They were supposed to steamroll Afghanistan.

By this time, Kohli would've loved, maybe even expected to have half the Afghan side back in the shed. But with Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi being stubborn, Kohli needed to pull a rabbit out of his hat and bring this game back in his control.

These days, pulling that rabbit out of his hat isn't a struggle for Kohli. In fact, it's a routine. When he wants to make things happen, Kohli looks around the field to find his lethal weapon - his own weapon of mass destruction.

Jasprit Bumrah was summoned - "Give me wickets here, Jassi," the clear message was from his captain. It was only going to be a short spell - two, maybe three overs.

Bumrah set about his job, and with the second ball of the second over of that spell. he pinged Rahmat in front, but the umpire wouldn't budge. Kohli was agitated, and would eventually end up being fined 25% of his match fee for excessive appealing.

Bumrah, though, wouldn't be flustered. That all-too-familiar Bumrah smile was on show, he was warmed up, he was doing the job for his captain.

Two balls later, he did. Rahmat top-edged a hook and Yuzvendra Chahal made no mistake on the fine-leg boundary. And two balls later, Bumrah did it, again! Back of a length, again. Shahidi was in a tangle, and he looped one straight back to Bumrah.

The contest was back in Kohli's control. And as always, it was his precious jewel who had brought his side back into the game.

But the game wasn't done. The President, as they call Mohammad Nabi, wasn't done. With ice in his veins, he negotiated choppy waters, with wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end.

In many ways, Nabi was doing an MS Dhoni, taking the game right to the end. But Kohli stayed calm, India stayed calm.

Everyone knew that as long as Bumrah was alive, India were alive in the contest. With 32 needed off the last 4 overs, Nabi was still around, and with the knowledge that half the balls he was to face would be delivered by Bumrah.

Bumrah erred once, early in the 47th over, when he went to the back of length ball only to see Nabi pull an imperious six over square leg.

That was enough mucking around for Bumrah. Before this humongous growth in the last 18 months or so, what Jasprit Bumrah was, was a specialist death bowler - someone who could land his yorker at will.

The hard lengths were sent to the bin, the slower ball wasn't called upon, the mode of attack was going to be one-dimensional.

“There is a bit of reverse swing as well so you rely on your yorkers. It was a tight game and I was backing my yorkers,” Bumrah said after the game.

Nabi knew what was coming, yet Bumrah was untouchable after that six over square leg. It's the beauty of a good yorker - the batsman really cannot get it away for big runs even if can preempt what is coming.

Bumrah nailed his yorkers, and bowled a brilliant 49th over. Afghanistan needed 21 off the last two overs, but Bumrah, as he almost always seems to, left more than enough in the bank for the bowler bowling the last over - in this case, Mohammed Shami.

Only five were conceded, and Bumrah had done his job.

Shami put the gloss on a tense evening with a stunning last-over hat-trick, but he was set up for it by the undisputed leader of this Indian bowling attack.

The rankings don't lie. He's the best in the world. And if India are to win the World Cup, it is no exaggeration that he's more important than even his skipper or vice-captain.

It's a template with Indian cricket now - when Virat Kohli wants to turn a game around, he goes to his genius pacer, the boy never fails to disappoint.

Move past the Kohinoor, Jasprit Bumrah is the diamond India cannot afford to lose anymore.

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