Is Jasprit Bumrah the greatest Indian pacer bowler? If not, he certainly is making a case for it. On a pretty docile Vizag pitch, the Indian spearhead has ripped the English batting line-up apart. From reverse swing, slower ones to seething toe-crushing yorkers, Bumrah displayed it all on Day 2 of the India vs England 2nd Test.
In the process of England’s middle-order annihilation, he becomes the 17th Indian bowler to take 150 Test wickets. After claiming the wicket of English skipper Ben Stokes, Bumrah became the 3rd fastest Indian bowler to reach the milestone (34 Tests) and the fastest in terms of balls bowled (6781).
The fast bowler had a rough start, getting tonked by the English openers for 24 runs in his opening spell (4 overs). He then returned with vengeance and claimed the prized wickets of Joe Root, last match’s hero Ollie Pope with a seething yorker and Jonny Bairstow.
Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t done yet, though. With Ben Stokes batting superbly with the tail, he produced a gem of a delivery to dismiss the English skipper and reach the milestone. In the very next over, he sent Tom Hartley to take his 9th five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Editors pick
