Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah took everyone by surprise with his aggressive batting in the second ODI between England and India. England won the toss and bowled first, bundling the Men in Blue out for 233 in 44 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah walked out to bat in the 41st over with Shreyas Iyer at the other end. He took six balls to get off the mark, looking to save his wicket and play second fiddle. However, in a surprising turn of events, Bumrah went after Saqib Mahmood in the 43rd over.
He began with a boundary off the very first ball, whipping it with his bottom hand through mid-wicket. While the next ball was a dot, he charged again on the third delivery, getting a lucky boundary off a pull that resulted in a top edge over the keeper. The very next ball, he dragged a back of a length delivery through mid-wicket for another brilliant boundary as the crowd went berserk.
Jasprit Bumrah ended the over in style with a six on the final delivery. It was a short delivery around middle and leg that he pulled over deep square leg for a maximum, nailing the shot, gathering 18 runs off the over.
Watch the video of the assault below –
Bumrah played a crucial knock, remaining unbeaten on a quickfire 13-ball 20 with three boundaries and a six at a strike rate of 153.85, giving India a slight push towards the end.
Can Jasprit Bumrah help India defend 233 runs?
Having done his bit with the bat, Jasprit Bumrah will now be expected to fire with the ball as India come out to defend their total of 233. With England’s batters in solid form and their attacking style of play, the Men in Blue will have to be brilliant with the ball to defend this total.
Returning to the ODI setup after the 2023 World Cup, Bumrah looked good in the first game, returning figures of 1/31 from nine overs at an economy rate of 3.4.
However, India will need much more than that from their ace pacer as they aim to seal the series in Cardiff.
Edited by Rishab Vm