Jasprit Bumrah’s Masterclass Gives India the Upper Hand at Vizag

Vizag: In a sensational display of pace bowling, Jasprit Bumrah delivered a masterclass with the old ball, securing his best Test figures in India and putting England on the back foot at the end of the second day in Vizag. Bumrah’s exceptional spell of 6/45 came into play as the ball started to reverse swing, turning the game around and restricting England to 253.

The visitors had a strong start with opener Zak Crawley’s brisk 76, including four fours in an over off Bumrah with the new ball. However, Kuldeep Yadav’s extra bounce led to Ben Duckett’s dismissal, and Crawley continued his counterattacking approach, reaching a well-deserved fifty.

A crucial turning point occurred when Axar Patel, brought into the attack, dismissed the aggressive Crawley, who miscued a big hit, caught by Shreyas Iyer. This opened the floodgates for Bumrah’s brilliance. He dismantled England’s top order, dismissing Joe Root and Ollie Pope with precision.

Bumrah’s yorker splattered Pope’s stumps, showcasing his exceptional skills. Despite a brief resistance from Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, Bumrah returned after Tea to have Bairstow caught at slip, tilting the balance back in India’s favor. With support from Kuldeep Yadav, Bumrah continued to wreak havoc, eventually finishing with figures of 6/45.

England was reeling at 182/7, but a counterattack by Stokes and Tom Hartley added some runs before Bumrah returned to dismiss Hartley and James Anderson, wrapping up the innings. The pacer’s spell offset India’s batting struggles in the first innings, where Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double century guided them to 396.

Jaiswal’s innings, coupled with Bumrah’s brilliance, handed India a lead of 171 runs. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal saw off the small period before Stumps, leaving India in a commanding position at the end of the second day in Vizag.

Brief Scores: India 396 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 209; James Anderson 3-47, Rehan Ahmed 3-65) & 28/0 England 253 (Zak Crawley 76, Ben Stokes 47; Jasprit Bumrah 6-45, Kuldeep Yadav 3-71)