Leeds [UK], June 22 : On a day when little went right with the ball for Team India, Jasprit Bumrah stood tall as the lone bright spot. As England reached 209/3 at stumps on Day 2 of the Leeds Test, Bumrah was the only Indian bowler who posed a consistent threat, picking up all three wickets to fall, a performance that underlined his class in an otherwise toothless bowling display
The right-arm seamer finished with figures of 3/48, dismissing Zak Crawley (4) early. After that, he cleaned up Ben Duckett for 62 and later removed Joe Root for 28, which turned out to be a crucial breakthrough.
Reflecting on the quality of Bumrah's spell, former India cricketer and JioHotstar expert Sanjay Manjrekar offered high praise, comparing Bumrah's match-altering presence to that of a legendary fast bowler.
"We've seen four hundreds in the match so far three from India and one from England but which bowler has been truly special? For me, it's just Bumrah," said Manjrekar on 'Match Centre Live' after the conclusion of Day 2.
He went on to draw a parallel with Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand's pace great, highlighting Bumrah's ability to create wicket-taking opportunities even when the conditions aren't in his favour.
"Just the ability to manufacture a wicket every time he came into the attack is what stands out. The one bowler that comes to mind, someone with that kind of impact single-handedly, is Sir Richard Hadlee. He played for a New Zealand team with a relatively weaker attack, but every time he came on, you felt a wicket was around the corner," Manjrekar noted.
"The common thread between the two is mastery when I watched Hadlee from close quarters, he felt like a true master of his trade. I get that same impression with Bumrah," he added.
Earlier, England won the toss and opted to bowl first. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 in 159 balls, with 16 fours), skipper Shubman Gill (147 in 227 balls, with 19 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (134 in 178 balls, with 12 fours and six sixes) took India to 471. 430/4 at one point, skipper Ben Stokes (4/66) and Josh Tongue (4/86) caused a collapse.
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