Despite being repeatedly let down by his teammates on the pitch, Jasprit Bumrah once more demonstrated why he is the greatest fast bowler in the world by taking an amazing five-wicket haul to destroy England's first innings. In comparison to the rest of India's speed assault, Bumrah's 5/83 figures were a masterclass in precision and skill. The narrow lead was only made possible by one man, and England ultimately capitulated for 465, six runs shy of India's total of 471.

Bumrah acted as a lone fighter on Day 2. With a flawless delivery, he set the tone by taking out Zak Crawley in the very first over of England's response. However, while Bumrah was successful in getting breakthroughs at regular intervals, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj, India's other seamers, had difficulty with consistency and control. The English batsmen, notably Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett, seized any opportunity to apply pressure back on India.

Despite Joe Root's dismissal with a peach, Bumrah's genius was diluted by the lack of pressure from the other end.

Adding to the misery, Bumrah had a terrible time with the slip cordon. Two opportunities were missed on Day 2 alone, all of which were simple and expensive. The third drop occurred on the third day in the afternoon, once again off his bowling, once again shelled by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had previously practiced solo slip-catching in that precise location.

Bumrah's responses became more subdued with each miss, burying his face or staring into the emptiness, but never allowing it to manifest in his next delivery. Bumrah reacted with potent spells that demanded wickets every time captain Shubman Gill faced him.

However, on Day 3, other bowlers began to contribute, providing relief. Siraj took two wickets, while Prasidh Krishna contributed three, but England's lower order continued to put up a fight. Gill gave the ball back to his most reliable weapon, who was still wagging its tail, close to Tea.

Bumrah immediately broke through Chris Woakes's defense in his first over of the new spell before finishing off Josh Tongue to record his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests. His teammates hurried over to him as he raised his eyes to the sky and signaled silently.

Equal to Kapil Dev

In away games, Jasprit Bumrah now holds the record for most five-fors by an Indian, tying the great Kapil Dev with his 12th five-wicket haul on the road. The following is the list of away tests:

• 12 Jasprit Bumrah (34) *
• 12 Kapil Dev (66)
• 9 Ishant Sharma (63)
• 8 Zaheer Khan (54)
• 7 Irfan Pathan (15)

Read Also: Gambhir’s Frustration Peaks, Bumrah Exasperated, Gill Stays Calm After Jaiswal Drops Another Catch

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!