IND vs ENG 2022| We want to play for a win, asserts stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah has made his team’s intentions clear ahead of the final Test against England, indicating no worry about their opponent’s form going into Edgbaston on Friday. Head coach Rahul Dravid spoke along similar lines, praising his team’s positive brand of cricket and successful run of results.
Standing in for Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain for the first time in his career, Jasprit Bumrah showed no signs of pressure in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. He will be succeeding Kapil Dev as the country’s first fast-bowling captain in 35 years. Despite the stakes, the pacer expressed confidence in his team’s abilities ahead of the crucial encounter.
“I am not focusing on how the England team is playing. We know our strengths and if we do our job well, we believe that our team can win and do well anywhere, in any condition. So, we want to give more attention to our team because we don't want to give a mental advantage to anyone thinking about what the other team is doing. If we do our job well, things will fall in place," he was quoted saying by ESPN.
Heading into the fifth Test match, India carries a 2-1 lead in the series given the successful exploits under Virat Kohli’s leadership last year. However, Bumrah believes it is a fresh game on Friday and the past results will hold no weightage.
"We don't look in the past. Every cricket game you want to win. Isn't it? We never play any game to lose or just to compete or play for a draw. We want to play for a win. What has happened in the past, that's all gone. We try to be in the moment. We want to try to be immersed in the moment and try to focus on the job at hand and try to give our best shot," the 28-year-old stated.
The England team is in red-hot form, chasing down three daunting totals in the recently concluded series against New Zealand to sweep the reigning World Test Champions. Nevertheless, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid remains unfazed about their aggressive playing style.
"Any which way they play gives us opportunities. We are leading the series 2-1. Any which way they play the game, we believe it's up to us. I think we have got to focus on our cricket and not so much worry about what England is doing and what it is they're playing,” Dravid firmly opined.
The former batsman was quick to highlight his team’s capabilities and their potential to outplay the hosts.
"We've been a pretty positive side as well. We were second in the World Test Championship cycle last year. This year we find ourselves third in the table, just underneath the top two. So we have been pretty successful, we have been pretty successful in getting 20 wickets and winning Test matches. That for me is positive cricket as well. Of course, they might have a strategy, or they might have some tactics that they might come in and play with on the particular day - that can change as well depending on conditions. It's our job to respond to whatever they put out and we will be focused on trying to do that," Dravid concluded.
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