England head coach Brendon McCullum praised Indian quick Jasprit Bumrah for a fine display of reverse swing bowling against his team in the second Test of the five-match series, and he expects his batsmen to do well against India’s spreadhead in the remaining matches.
After India was 1-0 in the test series losing to England in the Hyderabad Test, Jasprit Bumrah delivered a masterclass in reverse swing bowling, guiding India to a 106-run victory and even the series. The 30-year-old surprised the English batter with his brilliant fast bowling on the flat ground with a six-wicket haul in England’s first innings, followed by three more wickets to finish with a tally of nine wickets for only 91 runs.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Brendon McCullum praised Jasprit Bumrah’s performance in the second Test and wants the England batters to devise a strategy to counter the Indian pacer and revealed that they look to address the issue with the individuals.
“Bumrah bowled a fantastic spell of reverse swing, Our guys have so much talent and quality, it’s just a matter of ensuring they feel confident to make decisions and go all in on their strategies. We need to come up with some ways to counter that, It won’t be a group discussion,” Brendon McCullum said.
Jasprit Bumrah’s six-wicket haul guaranteed that India bowled England for 253 runs in their first innings, giving India a 143-run lead. He claimed the important wickets of Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, and Joe Root. He then guaranteed that India finished England’s second innings on Day 4.
1-1 Is Probably A Fair Reflection Of Where It Is At The Moment – Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum compared the India-England match to a heavyweight clash between the two quality opponents and was happy with the result of the first two games. He believes that the fans are in for an interesting series if the first two games are any indication.
“What makes a great fight is a contrast in styles and the conviction in those methods, What we have seen is that both teams will give as good as what they get. I’m sure everyone around the world that has supported this series so far has been totally entertained and enthralled by the contest and 1-1 is probably a fair reflection of where it is at the moment. If the next three Tests are anything like these last two, it’s going to be one hell of a series,” Brendon McCullum added.
The England cricket team left India in the 10-day break before the third Test, which begins on February 15 in Rajkot. Ben Stokes-led side will stay in Abu Dhabi, where they conducted a pre-India tour training, and the team will look to fine-tune their skills before coming into the third game in Rajkot after a tough loss in Vizag.
