Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah became the quickest, in terms of balls, Indian bowler to take 150 Test wickets on Saturday in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam. And he did it some style, with the big fish of the England skipper, Ben Stokes, knocking over his off-stump.
Ben Stokes had started to unleash his array of shots and had slammed 5 fours and a six in his knock of 47 balls in 54 balls. With India needing to get Stokes’ wicket as early as possible, captain Rohit Sharma reintroduced India’s best bowler of the day and the series, Jasprit Bumrah.
The 30-year-old fast bowler, who had taken three big wickets in the form of Joe Root, Ollie Pope, and Jonny Bairstow earlier in the day, delivered on the expectations by castling Stokes. Such was the eliteness of the ball that Stokes was late in bringing down his bat and could only respond to Bumrah’s genius with a shrug, suggesting he simply had no answers to the delivery that nipped in sharply from length.
After a fruitful day in which he returned with astonishing figures of 6/45 on a flat, docile surface, Jasprit Bumrah revealed that he had bowled an outswinger to Stokes but the ball seamed in after pitching, which perhaps took Stokes by surprise.
Bumrah told Jio Cinema, “[The Stokes wicket ball] That was the only delivery when I attempted an outswinger. But the ball went straight so I think maybe he had seen the shine and thought the ball would go away but it came in straight and he got bowled.”
BUMRAH BAMBOOZLED STOKES…!!! 🥶
– The reaction of Stokes says it all.pic.twitter.com/ZhhqXxvh83
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 3, 2024
Jasprit Bumrah reckons Bairstow and Stokes were playing him for an inswinger
Earlier, Bumrah had masterfully set up Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow with a series of both inswingers and outswingers before nicking them both with outswingers. He yorked Ollie Pope with a booming inswinger to send shivers down the England line-up.
On his plan to Bairstow and Stokes, Bumrah said, “You have to be patient with that. Have to set the batters up. Have to use deliveries wisely. Can’t just bowl inswing outswing, inswing outswing. After that Pope delivery, I had in mind they’ll be looking out for the inswinger. Was keeping an eye on what the batters were looking to do. Very happy. Try and avoid looking at numbers. When you do that, you build pressure and don’t enjoy yourself.”
India took a first innings lead of 143 runs, which they extended to 171 courtesy of an unbeaten 28-run stand between Rohit and Jaiswal.
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