ICC World Cup 2019 | Jasprit Bumrah is operating at different level, says Virat Kohli

South Africa had won the toss against India and opted to bat first in Wednesday’s encounter. The duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah opened the attack and wildly swung the ball in their first spell. The latter was unplayable and sent the openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock packing for six and 10 respectively. Yuzvendra Chahal wreaked havoc by picking up four wickets in the middle overs while Kuldeep Yadav picked one. Bhuvneshwar too claimed two wickets in the end but the South African tail survived till the end to set a target of 228. Virat Kohli was all praise for his bowlers but singled out Bumrah for his fabulous spell.

“Jasprit is operating at a different level to be honest. The way he's bowling, the batsmen feel the pressure all the time. Not the other way round. He's not giving any freebies. With the new ball he was absolutely outstanding. Haven't seen Amla get out like that in one-day cricket. Even Quinny, he rushed him for pace. Chahal was outstanding as well,” he said at the post-match presentation ceremony, reported Cricbuzz.

“We were going to bowl first. They were coming off two losses, so you have to make sure you get the first 15 overs right,” the 30-year-old added. 

Kagiso Rabada was no different than Bumrah when he came to open the attack for South Africa but Rohit Sharma managed to survive despite a few knicks and a dropped catch. However, the 24-year-old managed to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan for eight. Kohli, KL Rahul and MS Dhoni all showed their intent to stay at the crease, but it was Rohit who carried his bat in the 122-run innings to take the team home. Hardik Pandya blasted 15 runs off seven balls to finish things off in style. The skipper was delighted with his team’s all-round efforts.

"On the field, we were confident as a group. With the bat, we had to work our way through because of the attack they have. That's where Rohit's innings was very very special. And also the guys who batted around him. You need experienced guys to stand up. One of the top three getting a hundred is something we bank on. KL batted really well with him. Then MS showed great composure. Hardik finished well too. He looks in a good headspace,” explained the top-ranked batsman.

India’s first game of the tournament was South Africa’s third while every other team had played at least one game. A win in the campaign opener, especially after such a long wait, will bode well for the team, as pointed out by Kohli.

“The wait was very long and then you get a game like this where it was challenging throughout. From our point of view it was important to start on the right note. The first win is always important. We might not have had the run rate, but if you look at how the game went and how the pitch behaved, it was challenging.I would say it's a professional win,” he reckoned.

“One thing to say we're a strong team on paper, but it's another to be professional about the win in all three aspects,” Kohli signed off.