NEW DELHI – England came prepared for the usual spin test that welcomed the touring side in India, but Jasprit Bumrah’s “magical” seam bowling masterclass in Visakhapatnam saw their hopes of victory in the second Test vanish into thin air.
To deal with the expected conditions, England opted for sharp attacks in both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, complemented by a lone fast bowler. The frequency with which their batsmen played sweeping shots also indicated their determination to conquer the challenge.
And after their spinners accounted for 18 of India’s 20 wickets en route to victory in the first Test, the tourists expected another spin-fest in Visakhapatnam.
They probably didn’t expect Bumrah to emerge as their main threat despite hardly anyone helping on the field so far in the series.
Armed with an unorthodox slingshot action and a back ball, Bumrah burst out of the crease to create angles and operated with pinpoint accuracy to torment the batsmen.
His 9-91 on a spin-friendly track marked him as man of the match, despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden double hundred.
Bumrah’s dominance over England’s top batsmen particularly stood out in India’s series tie.
Joe Root became Bumrah’s “hare”, the England batsman succumbing to India for the eighth time in Test cricket, prompting former England captain Alastair Cook to say he feared it had become a “mental game”.
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But Bumrah saved his best for England vice-captain Ollie Pope, whose match-winning 196 in Hyderabad is considered the best knock by a visiting batsman in India.
The jaw-dropping yorker that smeared the Pope’s stumps will be talked about for a long time to come.
The seamer also caught Ben Stokes off guard with another delivery that made the England skipper drop his bat and shake his head in disbelief.
“Sometimes you can be critical of your own team… But sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the opposition and say they’ve been touched by genius,” former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.
“That spell from Bumrah in England’s first innings was brilliant,” he said, referring to Bumrah’s 6-45.
“I think it was really Jasprit Bumrah’s magic that was the difference.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly said India did not need spin to win home Tests when they have pacers of the caliber of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, who missed the first two Tests with ankle injuries.
England, who went to Abu Dhabi on a short break, are likely to wonder what Bumrah has up his sleeve for the third Test in Rajkot, which starts on February 15.
