WI v IND | We stuck to our plans and built pressure as a bowling unit, says Jasprit Bumrah

When one remembers the scorecard from the first Test match between India and West Indies a while from now, it may reflect that Bumrah stole the show with his individual brilliance. Yes, Bumrah’s five-fer overshadowed every other performance, even Ajinkya Rahane’s knocks purely from a spectacular point of view. However, Bumrah himself noted that the bowling was a collective effort, led by Ishant Sharma’s five-fer in the first innings.

“Feeling good and we built pressure as a bowling unit which was nice. We used the breeze to our advantage and stuck to our plans. Always trying to evolve as a bowler and always trying to do new things and when the ball is not swinging maybe try and use the seam to get the movement. A lot of communication goes between the bowlers and sometimes you just need to hit good areas and everything else will follow,” Bumrah said post-match, reported Cricbuzz. 

Almost exactly a year ago, Bumrah had produced a peach of an inswinger to trap Keaton Jennings at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Back then, everyone watching reckoned it was a one-off magic delivery. However, the Windies top-order found out just how lethal that weapon of his has become with time. 

“Lot of hard-work and practice goes into that (about bowling the outswinger). I always had the inswinger but the more I played the more confident I got. Playing with the Dukes ball in England helped me a lot too. It has helped my confidence. Playing after some time and little stiff on my back and it all sorted out in the second innings. Looking forward to the next game,” Bumrah added.

Now that he is well and truly back into his rhythm after a brief resting period, Bumrah will look to help India complete a clean sweep in the Caribbean tour, with the second Test starting on August 30 at Sabina Park.