On Friday, November 14, at the famous Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Jasprit Bumrah caused chaos on the opening day of the first Test match between India and South Africa. He concluded with outstanding figures of 5/27 in 14 overs, bowling with remarkable accuracy. Jasprit Bumrah bowled five maiden overs throughout his spell and gave nearly no freebies, making life difficult for the South African batsmen.
In his 51st Test match, this was Jasprit Bumrah 16th five-wicket haul. In the red-ball format, he currently holds the record for most five-fors among active Indian cricket players. The only people with more are Kapil Dev (23), Harbhajan Singh (25), Anil Kumble (35), and Ravichandran Ashwin (37).
It was not justifiable for South Africa to be bowled out for just 159 in 55 overs, even though the pitch did offer some uneven bounce. It does, however, demonstrate Bumrah’s genius, as he once again demonstrated that he is capable of destroying any opposition while bowling at full force.
Following his heroics on the first day of the eagerly anticipated Test series, Jasprit Bumrah stated that bowlers should exercise patience on these surfaces and avoid the temptation to use magic deliveries too frequently since they could backfire and cause runs to be spilt.
“You must have patience if you want to succeed in Test cricket. particularly on these pitches. The wicket is hard here, and the outfield is rather quick. After being the first fast bowler to capture five wickets with the red ball on Day 1 of a Test match in India since Dale Steyn in 2006, Jasprit Bumrah commented, “If you are very desperate here and try to bowl magic balls, you can be at risk of leaking runs.”
“You must restrain your temptations.” You must evaluate the opposition batter’s alternatives for scoring runs. Here, not every ball will work its charm. The batters have problems with some deliveries. To receive prizes, you must bowl in favourable locations on a regular basis. Your patience will be put to the test in Test cricket. You will only acquire loads of 6–7 wickets in a few matches. For the most part, you must continue to bowl well. Even when you bowl brilliantly, you may not always obtain wickets. However, he continued, “you will have days when wickets come if you keep working hard.”
Jasprit Bumrah emphasised the value of bowling discipline even if he admitted that the pitch did help a little.
“Yes, there is some assistance in this pitch. There’s still hope. However, you must exercise patience. Run-scoring might happen quickly if you’re off the mark. You will pay the price if you lack discipline,” he stated.
It can be a little challenging to choose the ideal length: Jasprit Bumrah
According to Jasprit Bumrah, bowling got easier as the ball grew older. He believed that when the ball was firm and new, it was hard to control the noticeable seam.
“The game is more difficult. The divergence will be much faster when the ball is new. The divergence decreases when the ball softens, at which point your precision becomes important. Everything happened when I bowled the first over: the ball swung, stayed low, and kicked high. Determining the ideal length can be a little challenging. You continue to bowl and figure things out,” Jasprit Bumrah remarked.
“Everything happened for the first three or four balls: one ball kicked, one stayed low. You bowl where? Then you realise that this is how it’s developing. The divergence wasn’t constant, and the ball settled down when it got a little softer. The seam is noticeable and the ball will do a little more when it is good and hard. It gets a little bit simpler until it softens,” he continued.
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