Jasprit Bumrah has also been called a cheat code who never lets you down, with former India batting coach Abhishek Nayar describing him as such after the bowler decisively returned five wickets in India’s victory over West Indies in the five-wicket match at Eden Gardens.
The 12 th over that changed the game changed the fortunes of West Indies as Bumrah got rid of the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase with one hit each, breaking the momentum of the West Indians who had almost scored a massive total. The two-fold breakthrough turned out to be the turning point in a match which the Caribbean team had presented one of the most powerful batting formations in the tournament.
Despite the fact that West Indies undone through valuable inputs made by Rovman Powell and Jason Holder to record 195/4, India managed to chase down the target. Sanju Samson was the engine of the win as his 97 never-to-be-broken innings was the backbone and secured the position of India in the further part of the tournament.
“Jasprit Bumrah is a cheat code. You bring him with the new ball, in the middle overs, or at the death. He never disappoints. He always delivers. The wicket of Shimron Hetmyer set it up for India. Hetmyer was looking very dangerous in these conditions. As a fast bowler, you think yorker or bouncer,” said Nayar on Star Sports.
“But to bowl a length ball there and get a wicket is very difficult to execute. Then he bowled a brilliant slow ball to get rid of Roston Chase. That broke the back of the West Indies batting. Both batters were set. To get two set batters in one over just demoralises the opposition. Bumrah was brilliant as ever,” he added.
Similar opinions were expressed by former India batsman Aakash Chopra, who claimed that Bumrah’s 2/36 stats did not accurately capture the extent of his influence in restricting the West Indies. Even though the stats seemed low on paper, Chopra emphasized that Bumrah’s spell came at a crucial point in the innings.
“I keep saying that Bumrah is a genius. He is an asset and a national treasure. The way he controlled the innings, in the end it reads 2 for 36, but the roles we spoke about mattered more. Had he bowled the first and the third over, the numbers from an economy perspective might have looked even better, but that is not what you need in the end. West Indies had the deepest batting line-up one can possibly have, and still they were four down and had not crossed 200. And yes, Jasprit Bumrah is the kind of bowler who does not let that happen.”
Aakash Chopra
