 "India pacer Jasprit Bumrah is second on the list of leading wicket-takers in the ongoing Test series in England with 14 wickets despite being rested for one match. Reuters")
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has questioned Jasprit Bumrah’s effectiveness in the ongoing fourth Test against England, saying the Indian pace spearhead hasn’t been at his best. Speaking on Sky Sports, Ponting said that playing so many matches in the series has made things tough for Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, adding that it has started to take its toll on them.
Bumrah, Siraj criticised by Ponting
Ponting also pointed out that Bumrah’s pace had significantly dropped in this Test, but he credited the English openers for putting him on the back foot from the start. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett put on a quickfire 166-run partnership stand on Day 2 of this Test before players like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Ollie Pope took over. Ponting believes they put Indian bowlers under a lot of pressure.
“That’s why the game’s called Test Cricket. Yeah, it is a test. It’s a physical test, it’s a mental test and a challenge. There was always concerns about Bumrah and Siraj really getting through this Test Series with as many games under their belt as possible. You know, this is, I think, the fourth game now for Siraj. So, yeah, they’re starting to take its toll. There’s no doubt about that,” Ponting said.
“Bumrah did look a bit flat right from the start of this game, to be honest. You look at his pace. His pace has been sort of 82, 83 miles an hour on average right the way through this game, which is probably three or four or five miles down on what he normally is. But you’ve got to give credit to the England batters as well. I thought Duckett and Crawley at the top really put this Indian bowling attack under a lot of pressure from the start,” he added.
England piled on 669 runs in the first innings, with Ben Stokes leading the charge with a brilliant 141. Bumrah picked up just two wickets for 112 runs, while Siraj took one for 140 runs. Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers for India as he took four wickets under his belt. Washington Sundar took two, while debutant Anshul Kamboj returned with one.
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India now face a massive task to save the Test as they are still trailing by 137 runs with eight wickets remaining heading into the final day.