Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], February 5 (ANI): Former England captain Nasser Hussain hailed “magical” Jasprit Bumrah for his remarkable spell against England and felt that India pacer ended up being the difference between both sides in Vizag Test.
With nine wickets in the Visakhapatnam Test match against England (6 for 45 and 3 for 46), Bumrah helped India level the series 1-1 in the second Test of five-match test series. His yorker that swung into Ollie Pope and uprooted his middle and leg stumps in the first innings was the highlight of his performance.
The star pacer used his arsenal of “reverse swing” and “change-ups” to great effect in Vizag, with very little help from the pitch. The 30-year-old’s exceptional bowling display became the highlight of the match as he claimed a six-wicket haul, dismantling the English lineup and restricting them to 253 in visitors first innings. Bumrah’s six-wicket haul on day two was particularly damaging, as it comprised the dismissals of crucial players like as Joe Root and Ben Stokes, as well as that magnificent delivery to Ollie Pope, which left England in a big hole.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Hussain hailed England’s comeback on day three after losing a significant lead, but magic of Bumrah was the main reason why hosts ended up wrapping up a 106-run victory in the second match.
“It was a fantastic Test match. Brilliant pitch and brilliant sides going hard at each other. One way or the other England fighting hard as they often do. They often give away a first-inning lead as they did in the first Test. But they fought back well with their performance yesterday. And I think it was really the magic of Jasprit Bumrah. He got 3 today, but that spell in the first innings – 6 for 40 odd, blew away England for 250 on a really good flat pitch. The magic of Bumrah and the ball to Ollie Pope, that spell he bowled was, in the end, the difference between the two sides,” Hussain said.
The 55-year-old emphasized how many times Bumrah had Joe Root’s throughout the series.
Tlkaing about Indan speed spearhead’s unorthodox action, Hussain said, “Sometimes you can be particular about your own team, sometimes you just have to look at your position and ‘you know what, they were touched by a genius’. That’s exactly what happened. That spell from Bumrah in England’s 1st innings was genius. Reverse swing has slightly gone out of the game, but with Bumrah with his unorthodox action and the way he leans across to the off-side and creates the angles. He is all over Joe Root at the moment and got him out 8 times in Tests.”
India and England have a 10-day break before the action heads to Rajkot for the third Test, on February 15. (ANI)
