Why Jasprit Bumrah, and not Sanju Samson, was real Player of the Match in India's T20 World Cup semi-final triumph

“All credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah. I think the world-class bowler, once-in-a-generation bowler… I think that’s what he delivered today. This (award) should go to him, actually.”

For the second time in as many games, Sanju Samson let the bat do the talking and starred in an Indian victory. After smashing an unbeaten 97 to help India chase down a challenging target of 196 in the virtual quarter-final against the West Indies, the stumper-opener blasted 89 off just 42 deliveries, playing a key role in propelling India to 253 – one that would prove to be a winning score by the barest of margins .

And while Samson was cherishing the thought of producing a once-in-a-lifetime knock against the Windies at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Sunday, he couldn’t help but credit star pacer Jasprit Bumrah during the post-match presentation ceremony at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium four days later.

Samson added that he would not have received the Player of the Match award had it not been for Bumrah’s brilliance and the support that he received from his pace colleagues, such as Hardik Pandya.

There’s no doubt about the fact that the Chennai Super Kings star was outstanding at the Wankhede on Thursday, making the most of a lifeline granted to him early in his innings to lay the foundation for a daunting total.

Bumrah the magician continues to deliver

But let’s also not forget the fact that this English team had enough firepower in their line-up to chase down a target as tall as 254. And for two-thirds of their chase, Harry Brook and his men were going neck-and-neck with India’s scoring rate despite losing more wickets in the first half, including in the powerplay.

That is, until they ran into the enigma that is Jasprit Bumrah, an individual who has been something of a cheat code for multiple Indian captains over the years, from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav.

England needed 45 to win from the last 18 deliveries. That would normally be considered tricky in T20Is. Still, the ease with which the English batters, particularly Bethell, were plundering boundaries meant none of the Indians on the field or those in the dugout were breathing easy yet.

‘SKY’ had hit the emergency button after the Englishmen plundered 66 runs between overs 10-15, bringing Bumrah back into the attack for the 16th, conceding 8 in his third over despite getting hit for a boundary by Sam Curran.

Bumrah’s economical third over brought back a sense of control for the Indian skipper, who decided to bowl him out right away instead of holding him back until the 19th or the 20th. In hindsight, that turned out to be the right call indeed, with the 18th over proving to be something of a turning moment.

One yorker after another

In a game where 499 runs had been scored across 40 overs, Bumrah conceding just six runs in as many deliveries in the death overs is nothing but pure gold. Started the over with a dot, firing a yorker at Curran with pin-point accuracy, one that was wildly celebrated by MS Dhoni’s wife Sakshi up in the box in a clip that has since gone viral.

Bumrah would also nail his yorkers in the second and third deliveries, allowing Curran and Bethell no more than a single, barely giving the two left-handers room to swing their bat and try and clear the rope. Curran directed a low full toss towards deep midwicket, but such was India’s field placement that the all-rounder couldn’t collect more than a brace.

It was Bumrah’s responsibility thereafter to ensure that he closed out the over on a tidy note and he did just that by conceding a single in each of the last two deliveries, nailing the yorker one final time in the sixth delivery.

Momentum plays a great role not just in matches but across tournaments, and thanks to Bumrah’s superb final over, England were suddenly left needing 39 to win from the last two overs. Bethell would complete his century by smashing Pandya for a six at the start of the penultimate over , but it was England that was feeling the heat at this stage. And it was that pressure that resulted in the chasing team losing both set batters over the next six deliveries, with Bethell getting run out in the first delivery of the final over.

Surya could have asked Bumrah to bowl the 19th instead of the 18th, but one can’t say with certainty if England would have experienced a similar momentum shift had Pandya been the one bowling the 18th over.

There’s a popular belief among cricket experts that “batsmen win you games, bowlers win you tournaments” – an adaptation of legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s iconic line, ”attack wins you games, defence wins you titles”.

With his crucial contributions throughout the tournament, and particularly at the Wankhede on Thursday, ‘Jassi bhai’ is highlighting why that statement holds true.