Marco Jansen, the South Africa left-arm seamer on Monday opened up on his altercation with India pace-spearhead Jasprit Bumrah during the Johannesburg Test.
South Africa left-arm seamer Marco Jansen opened up on his duel with India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the recently-concluded 3 match Test series won by South Africa, saying there were no hard feelings because they were acting in the heat of the moment.
Marco Jansen: Altercation With Jasprit Bumrah Was In The Heat Of The Moment
Jasprit Bumrah and Marco Jansen were part of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 but, both players were involved in a heated altercation in the 2nd Test.
Marco Jansen reciprocated Jasprit Bumrah’s short balls by peppering bouncers at him before both got involved in a heated exchange during the second innings at Johannesburg. Jasprit Bumrah then reacted with a stare after dismissing the South Africa pacer in the first innings of the third Test.
“Obviously, it felt good to have gotten a chance in the Test team and then to contribute to the side’s cause. I did not expect to do that well in the series. Very glad that we won the series 2-1. India has not won a Test series in our conditions, glad that we could maintain that record,” Jansen said during a virtual press conference.
“The first innings of the first Test sums it up really well. I did not start the way I wanted to and I was very nervous. It is normal for every player to get nervous. Off the field, I am a chill guy, I am an introvert but when I am on the field, I want to express myself,” he added.
When asked about his aggressive nature on the field, Jansen said: “I love this sport, I have wanted to play since I was a child. All the emotions show how much love and passion I have for the game. Obviously, I played with Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL, we are good friends but sometimes on the field, things get heated.”
“You play for your country, you are not going to back down for anyone and obviously, he plays the same way as well. There are no hard feelings, it just happened in the heat of the moment (on altercation with Bumrah in the Johannesburg Test),” he added.
“Obviously, we are taking momentum from the Test series into the ODIs. But we are not underestimating India at all, India is one of the best teams in the world so we have to bring our A-game. We are looking to take the fight to them. We have to be as prepared as we can, a series win against India would be big.”
South Africa and India will lock horns in a three-match ODI series, with the first match set to be played on Wednesday in Paarl where Marco Jansen got his maiden limited-overs call-up. Earlier, the Proteas had successfully defeated India 2-1 in the Test series. Marco Jansen had a good show with the ball as he went on to take 19 wickets in the Test series.
Marco Jansen had played in two matches picking 2 scalps for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021 before his debut for South Africa. In his debut Test series, he is already 2nd highest wicket-taker after Kagiso Rabada (20) with 19 wickets averaging 16.47.
Jasprit Bumrah Too Played Down On-Field Altercation With Marco Jansen
Jasprit Bumrah too had played down last week’s on-field altercation with Marco Jansen and the palpable nervous energy that has followed in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. He said the argument ‘ended’ in Johannesburg (2nd Test) and the duo had “moved on in life”
Jasprit Bumrah and Marco Jansen, former teammates at the Mumbai Indians, were involved in a heated exchange in the middle of the pitch in the second Test. The incident took place after the South African hit Jasprit Bumrah on the body with a few bouncers.
The Indian pacer got his revenge on Wednesday(3rd Test) by softening Marco Jansen with a short-ball barrage and then clean-bowling him for 7. He even followed it with a cold stare, but no words were exchanged between them.