Former India player Sanjay Bangar hailed veteran pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his ability to remain potent irrespective of conditions and the field set after the opening day of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata as well. The veteran starred with the new and old ball, finishing with stunning figures of 5/27 in 14 overs as well. Notably, it was Bumrah’s 16th Test five-wicket haul.
Talking about Bumrah’s heroics after the day’s play on ESPN Cricinfo, Bangar said, “What stands out about Bumrah is that he can bowl aggressively without having attacking fields. When the field is in a ring fashion, you feel the bowlers are probably bowling with a defensive mindset. But what he does differently is even with those defensive field set, he becomes a potent weapon.”
“That’s where in overseas conditions, you still find a way to score off Bumrah. But on slow and low surfaces, when he resorts to bowling with these defensive fields, then it becomes extremely difficult for the batters to score,” he stated.
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Meanwhile, former South African pacer Vernon Philander also applauded Jasprit Bumrah for his stunning control, combined with aggression, after the first day of the South African Test series.
“The control with aggression, even though his pace wasn’t right up there and was hovering around the high 130s and early 140s, it’s still good enough to rush any batter. He never lets the batter off the hook and his deliveries always finish at off-stump or at worst middle, never allowing batters to clip him. The skiddy bouncer, the yorker, so there is so much to process as a batter,” said Philander.
“He never gives you rest as a batter. And the intensity of every single spell is right up there. As a batter, you almost need to be a little bit more attacking and take the game to him and ask questions of him (how to counter Bumrah). But if you are going to allow him to bowl to you on these kind of surfaces, he’s going to knock you over,” he concluded.
