Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah made an immediate impact on his return to international cricket, dismissing Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a two-ball duck in the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Bumrah, returning after recovering from a knee injury, initially endured an expensive start.
His first delivery went down the leg side and was called a wide, racing away for five runs. However, the experienced fast bowler responded brilliantly with his second legal delivery.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled a back-of-a-length delivery around off stump, generating extra bounce and troubling Gurbaz. The Afghanistan opener could only edge the ball towards the slips, where Abhishek Sharma completed an excellent low catch to give India an early breakthrough.
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The dismissal also brought up a significant milestone for Bumrah. He completed 350 wickets in T20 cricket, becoming only the second Indian pacer after Bhuvneshwar Kumar to reach the landmark.
Bumrah bhai aate hi shuru ho gaye 😏🔥
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Bumrah’s return comes after he suffered a knee injury while fielding during the second ODI of India’s three-match series against England in July. He subsequently underwent rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence before being declared fit for the Afghanistan T20I series.
Speaking at the toss, India captain Shreyas Iyer highlighted Bumrah’s importance to the team. He described the veteran pacer as a match-winner and praised the experience and winning mentality he brings to the squad. “I think it’s a luxury to have him [Jasprit Bumrah] in the squad because he’s immensely experienced and he carries a lot of great attitude when it comes to winning matches.”
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Afghanistan suffered another setback soon after, with captain Ibrahim Zadran run out in the fourth over while attempting a second run. Ishan Kishan produced an excellent throw from deep midwicket to catch him short of his crease. Afghanistan were struggling at 39/3 after five overs.
