IND vs ENG | Jasprit Bumrah’s six overs of brilliance made the difference, reckons Steve Harmison

After England openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed partnered for a century stand in the final innings, Shardul Thakur came in and scalped the wicket of Burns when he was at 50. England then lost their second wicket of Dawid Malan (5) after a mix-up between him and Hameed. Later, Hameed (63) fell to Jadeja while playing down the wrong line. From 141/3, England soon collapsed to 210 all-out, resulting in a 157-run defeat.

Jasprit Bumrah clinched his 100th Test wicket by dismissing Ollie Pope with an excellent in-swinging delivery. He went on to dismiss Jonny Bairstow in his very next over with a reverse-swinging yorker. The Indian pacer continued bowling fierce deliveries to add extra pressure on the English batsmen on the final day of the fourth Test. Steve Harmison is of the opinion that it was Bumrah’s six overs of brilliance that swung the game in India's favour. 

“Credited to the way India bowled under pressure and the way Virat Kohli captained. The bowlers stuck to their task, and when the game needed a little bit of inspirational jolt, it was all down to the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah. That spell in the middle of the afternoon today was the difference between getting over the line and not getting over the line,” Harmison told ESPNcricinfo.

The former England pacer stated that Bumrah ensured that the visitors did not miss their premium off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in their line-up.

“India have obviously got it right because they have won the Test match. I still think Ashwin would have been a far bigger threat had he been playing. But the way you look it, this game was blown up by six overs of brilliance by Jasprit Bumrah. The bowlers have been asked time and again by their captain to turn up, hit the ground running. It was a great all-round team effort from the bowlers. They were absolutely brilliant on an absolute feather bed,” Harmison added.

With their 157-run victory over England in the fourth Test, India now leads the five-match Test series by 2-1. The final Test will begin on September 10 in Manchester.