Jasprit Bumrah may forever cherish the ball he bowled to Ollie Pope on Day 2 of the 2nd India vs England Test but – he smashed two of his stumps with a vicious yorker – but the ball he bowled to Ben Stokes to get him out was equally special. Ben Stokes was slowly getting into the groove and was looking ominous.
Bowling round the wicket, Bumrah left Ben Stokes shellshocked as the England captain was cleaned up, but it was the all-rounder’s expression right after the dismissal that made it even more joyous for the Indian pacer. Stokes simply dropped his bat and raised his hands in disbelief, almost saying ‘This is not done’.
This was Bumrah’s second dismissal of Ben Stokes in the series. He had clean bowled him in the Hyderabad Test, only for a lot more with a similar delivery – the ball had come straight to him rather than showing any movement whatsoever. Sharing his true thoughts on that reaction from Ben Stokes, Bumrah subtly took credit for the masterpiece of a delivery that he had sent down.
The delivery which I bowled to Ben Stokes wasn’t planned- Jasprit Bumrah
On dismissing the England skipper Ben Stokes, Bumrah said he had not planned that delivery.
“That was one delivery I had not planned. I had bowled an outswinger but the ball did not swing and went straight to the arc,” said Bumrah speaking after the Day’s play.
This delivery was special which left Former Indian opener now commentator Aakash Chopra who enjoyed it the most while commenting on it
Jasprit Bumrah did an amazing job to get Ben Stokes out- Aakash Chopra
Former Indian opener now commentator Aakash Chopra has lauded Jasprit Bumrah for bowling a penetrative spell on Day 2 of the second Test between India and England.
Bumrah registered figures of 6/45 in 15.5 overs as India bowled England out for 253 in their first innings in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, February 3. Rohit Sharma and company got a 143-run first-innings lead and ended the day at 28 for no loss in their second essay.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra observed that Ben Stoke’s was virtually shell-shocked after being dismissed by Bumrah. He elaborated (0:01):
“Jasprit Bumrah did an amazing job. Ben Stokes’ expression was as though Jasprit Bumrah had cheated when he got out. It was as though he didn’t see the ball after it pitched and it went straight and hit his stumps – ‘I don’t want to keep this bat, keep it with you’. That was something incredible.”
The former India opener praised the right-arm seamer for running through the England batting lineup on an unhelpful surface.
“We are seeing one of the finest bowlers in history at his peak performance. All Superman’s don’t wear capes. Our Bumrah is Superman. He picked up six wickets on the second day of a Test match on a flat pitch. He is a once-in-a-generation bowler,” Chopra said.
Jasprit Bumrah is the quickest Indian seamer to 150 Test wickets. He also has the second-best average among all bowlers who have picked up 150 or more wickets in Test history.
You can keep Ollie Pope’s wicket in digital collectibles- Aakash Chopra lauds Jasprit Bumrah
Aakash Chopra termed Jasprit Bumrah’s dismissal of Ollie Pope as one for the ages. He explained:
“The way he is bowling, you can keep Ollie Pope’s wicket in digital collectibles. He has dismissed him five times but the way he got him out this time, it was a laser-guided missile. It came in, pitched in the blockhole and the stumps were rocked,”
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Joe Root might have felt helpless in front of Bumrah. He stated:
“Before that, he dismissed Joe Root. He has got him out eight times. It seemed like Joe Root knew what this bowler was going to do with him and still he got out. So you feel helpless and Joe Root is feeling like that at the moment,”
Chopra concluded by noting that Bumrah has picked up 12 of England’s 30 wickets in the series thus far. He claimed that the Indian vice-captain is in a league of his own and is the best bowler in the world across formats.