Team India are in a dominant position against Bangladesh in the ongoing first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
The hosts bundled out Bangladesh for a paltry 149 in their first innings to take a significant lead of 227 runs. Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah starred with the ball for India, returning with the figures of 4/50 in his 11 overs.
Reflecting on his spell after the close of play on Friday (September 20), Bumrah revealed that he tried out different variations of his deliveries as his usual ones were not producing the desired results.
The right-arm quick explained the strategy to dismiss Mushfiqur Rahim when the surface was offering no help to the bowlers.
"The ball had become a little old, there wasn't a lot of movement, but there was some spongy bounce on the wicket. So, I was trying to assess my options because when I tried to bowl a little fuller, there wasn't much deviation. I was just trying to think about how I could make run-scoring difficult. That's what I focused on, and luckily, I got the outside edge," Bumrah told JioCinema.
"I had no other option because when I tried to bowl a length ball, the ball wasn't doing anything, and the ball wasn't reversing either. So, I had to try something because, as a bowler, you have to experiment when there's not much happening. There was no grip on the wicket, so I used one of those tactics that I've used in domestic cricket as well. It worked today, and that experience helped me out," he added.
Bumrah also shared insights into his use of bouncers in the match, saying, "In Test cricket, I don't usually bowl as many bouncers. Given the weather was harsh and I'm just getting back into Test cricket, I had to make adjustments. The ball had become wet because of sweat, and the seam was also wet. So, I had to use different options to get a wicket and make run-scoring difficult. These are things you learn as a lower-order batter too."
Jasprit Bumrah opened up on the discussions he had with skipper Rohit Sharma about their tactical approach with the ball on Day 2.
"He understands the bowlers very well. The weather was harsh, and everyone is coming back after a while - we're playing a Test match after some time, so everyone needs to get into the groove. The chat was about short spells to make them effective. We have fast bowlers who want to bowl fast and spinners who can create an impact. When the ball is new, the seam is hard, and there is some lateral movement, so we wanted to capitalize on that," he said.
"The plan wasn't necessarily to bowl fuller because there was no consistent swing. Some balls swung, and some didn't. So, we quickly adjusted angles, and I came around the wicket. But yes, with the new ball, there was some assistance, and we focused on that," the pacer further remarked.
India were 81/3 at stumps on the second day, extending their overall lead to 308 runs. Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli were the dismissed batters while Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant resumed India’s second innings on Saturday (September 21).
In the first innings, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja saved India’s blushes with the bat. The spin duo stitched a significant 199-run partnership when the home team was struggling at 144/6.
