Pacer Jasprit Bumrah was the most successful Indian bowler on the tricky Chepauk surface as he returned with figures of 4-50 to bowl out Bangladesh for 149 in the ongoing first Test at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. Bumrah revealed he experimented with his deliveries as his stock ones were not yielding any results on the second day of the contest. The pacer shared how he set up Mushfiqur Rahim’s dismissal when there was no assistance from the pitch.
“The ball had become a little old, there wasn’t a lot of movement, but there was some spongy bounce on the wicket. So, I was trying to assess my options because when I tried to bowl a little fuller, there wasn’t much deviation. I was just trying to think about how I could make run-scoring difficult. That’s what I focused on, and luckily, I got the outside edge,” Bumrah told JioCinema after stumps on Day 2.
Bumrah also discussed the variations he had to introduce due to the conditions. “I had no other option because when I tried to bowl a length ball, the ball wasn’t doing anything, and the ball wasn’t reversing either. So, I had to try something because, as a bowler, you have to experiment when there’s not much happening. There was no grip on the wicket, so I used one of those tactics that I’ve used in domestic cricket as well. It worked today, and that experience helped me out.”
He went on to share insights into his use of bouncers in the match, saying, “In Test cricket, I don’t usually bowl as many bouncers. Given the weather was harsh and I’m just getting back into Test cricket, I had to make adjustments. The ball had become wet because of sweat, and the seam was also wet. So, I had to use different options to get a wicket and make run-scoring difficult. These are things you learn as a lower-order batter too.”
Bumrah then revealed the conversations he had with captain Rohit Sharma regarding their tactical approach to the bowling attack for the day.
“He understands the bowlers very well. The weather was harsh, and everyone is coming back after a while – we’re playing a Test match after some time, so everyone needs to get into the groove. The chat was about short spells to make them effective. We have fast bowlers who want to bowl fast and spinners who can create an impact. When the ball is new, the seam is hard, and there is some lateral movement, so we wanted to capitalize on that,” he said.
“The plan wasn’t necessarily to bowl fuller because there was no consistent swing. Some balls swung, and some didn’t. So, we quickly adjusted angles, and I came around the wicket. But yes, with the new ball, there was some assistance, and we focused on that,” the pacer said.
India were 81/3 at stumps on the second day with a massive lead of 308 runs. Overnight batters Shubman Gill (batting 33) and Rishabh Pant (batting 12) will resume their innings on Saturday and will aim to save their wickets in the early seaming conditions in the opening session.
Earlier, Ashwin’s (113) sixth Test century along with 86 and 56 knocks by Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal respectively steered India to 376 in the first innings after being asked to bat first at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
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