“In The First Innings, Shardul Thakur Changed The Momentum”: Jasprit Bumrah

Shardul Thakur is the name that has became a talk of the town after the England vs India 4th Test match at Kennington Oval, London. Notably, Shardul Thakur delivered an exceptional performance both with bat and ball which has led to him getting praises from all around the world. This time it was his teammate Jasprit Bumrah who lauded Thakur for his amazing performance.

Notably, with the joint team effort, India managed to earn a victory at the Oval after 50 long years by defeating England by the huge margin of 157 runs. Each and every player from the Indian line-up gave a contribution which led to India winning the historic Test match. Meanwhile, the biggest positive many experts believe was the all-round performance of Shardul Thakur. Notably, Thakur scored the fifties in both innings and picked 3 crucial wickets.

“Shardul Thakur played two crucial knocks that really helped us to gain momentum”: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah in a press conference said that Shardul Thakur shifted the momentum towards team India and he delivered a crucial performance in both innings. Also, Bumrah feels that Shardul Thakur’s impact was very huge and it’s always good to have 5th bowlers who gives you flexibility.

“It is massive. Shardul Thakur played two crucial knocks that really helped us to gain momentum. Even in the first innings, he changed the momentum and it shifted towards us. We created a lot of pressure and we got two wickets in the evening session on the first day. And in the second innings, we had gotten to a reasonable score but he took the team to safety, and with the ball, he took the crucial wickets.

His impact was massive, it is always necessary to have that fifth bowler who gives you that comfort and does the job for the team. Hopefully, he carries on,” said Bumrah during a virtual press conference after the match concluded.

“So, when you are playing a Test or cricket, you do not realize how many overs you have bowled before, right now, the main important thing was to do the job for the team. I work really hard on my fitness because I want to play cricket for the longest period of time so I work hard in the gym and on my diet, I train really well.

I have the ammunition in me so I know I can push when I am required to for the team. That was the thing I was focusing on, I was not focusing on the workload that has gone on, I wasn’t thinking too far ahead so I didn’t think about the next Test or the T20 World Cup because then you can be mentally tired. Right now, I have to do a job for the team and I was thinking just about that,” said Bumrah.

“The mindset after the lunch break was that we needed to create a lot of pressure”: Jasprit Bumrah

Team England was in the game until just after lunch on the last day. However, with the exceptional spell of Jasprit Bumrah hosts went completely on the back foot and India came in the dominant position. Jasprit Bumrah revealed that India wanted to create a lot of pressure after the lunch break. He elaborated:

“The mindset after the lunch break was that we needed to create a lot of pressure and we needed to start well. Because suddenly if you give away runs then the momentum goes away and suddenly you come under pressure and you do not want to play catch up in that game. So, I was in the mindset that if we start well, we can create pressure so we had a lot of belief and we wanted to run on that belief. The wicket was on the flatter side so it required a lot of patience and a lot of control, we wanted to give it all. The ball was reverse swinging a little bit,”.

Notably, during the Oval Test match against England, Jasprit Bumrah became the fastest Indian speedster to take 100 wickets in Test cricket. Notably, Bumrah achieved this milestone in 24 games surpassing Kapil Dev who reached 100 wickets tally in 25 games.

“We as a team always look to be in the present, sometimes things would go your way, and sometimes they won’t. But as a team, we are focusing on how to get back in the game. We are looking to how to fight and get the team out of this situation. It is very important for the team to not lose faith because 5 days is a lot of cricket, the game can change anytime. We always wanted to be like that, we have a lot of belief in our unit and we know we can grab on to the opportunity whenever we can get it,” said Bumrah.

“I do not think about the numbers, it is a joyous occasion that I have taken 100 wickets in Tests as I wanted to play the format for a very long time,” he added.

Meanwhile, India will lock horns with England in the 5th and final Test match of the series, which will start on September 10 at Manchester.

Also Read: “To Be Honest, Shardul Thakur Deserved The Man Of The Match”: Rohit Sharma

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