Jasprit Bumrah reveals clear plan' that helped Team India beat England
Nagpur: India medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah churned in a match-winning performance at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, giving away only 20 runs in his quota of four overs.
It was not just his miserly bowling in the death overs that got India through. The 23-year-old also took the two important wickets of Joe Root and the explosive Jos Buttler in the penultimate over of the match, when all the pressure was on his young shoulders.
Bumrah revealed after India’s 5-run victory in Nagpur on Sunday, that India had a "clear-cut" plan on how to bowl to the English batsmen in Nagpur.
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“It was a crucial game for us. We saw the wickets which were falling in the first innings, and we saw that the wicket is on the slower side,” Bumrah said to BCCI.tv. “So we were trying to plan according to that – when we were going to bowl, what lengths we were going to bowl, what variation of pace we were going to use.
“So we’re very happy that we have levelled the series. The series is still alive, and we’ll go to Bangalore and see how it goes,” he continued.
“I was trying to have a clear plan, stick to a basic plan which I have, trying to back my strengths. Because if you have double thoughts, then it doesn’t work,” Bumrah further said. “I’ll decide what ball I’m going to bowl, and then I’m going to stick to that. If he hits, then its my responsibility.
“So I was very happy that I was able to stick to my plan, and I was able to back my strengths.”
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India were under immense pressure in the last over, with England needing just eight runs from six balls to wrap-up the three-match T20I series – a scenario that put the visitors right on top at that point. To add to that, England had set batsman Joe Root and the explosive Jos Buttler at the crease.
However, Bumrah trapped Root LBW in the very first ball of the over, and then went on to bowl a number of dot balls, before knocking over Buttler’s stumps.
“I was not thinking too much. Obviously six balls, eight runs, you always think that the batting side is in the favour,” he said. “I was just thinking that if we can get a wicket, anything could happen, because the wicket is on the slower side and its not easy to hit sixes over here because the ground is quite big.
“I was just thinking that and not thinking too ahead about who is going to come and what is going to happen. I was just trying to do whatever I know, so that worked,” said Bumrah.
The equation was simple on the last ball of the match. Moeen Ali, who had just come out to bat, needed to hit a six off the penultimate delivery.
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However, Bumrah held his nerves to bowl yet another dot ball and win the match for India.
“It was more about the last ball – the six – anything could have happened. We’ve come so close after eight runs were needed (from the last over) and then one-ball six was needed, so I was thinking, what are the options which I have,” said Bumrah.
“A lot of suggestions came up, and I was thinking what I have to follow. So in the end, I just decided on what suggestion was there and I decided to bowl wide, outside the off stump, so that worked,” he said.
