India's star pacer Jasprit Bumrah heaped praise on teammate Akash Deep after their "special win" in the second Test against Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur on Tuesday (October 1).
Despite losing more than two days of play due to rain and a wet outfield, the Rohit Sharma-led side played an aggressive brand of cricket to pull off a remarkable seven-wicket victory.
Akash returned with three wickets in Kanpur Test and finished the two-match series with five scalps to his name.
In a video shared by the BCCI on social media, Bumrah spilled beans on the "interesting conversations" between him and Akash throughout the series.
"He (Akash Deep) comes up to me quite a lot before a spell and asks me 'what is happening and what should I do'. We have had a lot of interesting conversations, and the energy he brings on the ball, he gives his best on the field, and when he's bowling, he has got a lot of heart, and that is a good sign for us going forward. Hopefully, he goes from strength to strength," Bumrah said.
Once the rain subsided and the sun emerged over the Green Park Stadium, it became tricky for the pacers to extract benefits from the pitch. However, it was a challenge that Bumrah relished.
"I like that challenge when you go against your nature and conditions are not favourable. The wicket is not favourable. How do you get answers? All of these battles I really like. We have played a lot of cricket in India. You understand the nature of the wicket, and the SG ball sometimes reverses as well, but sometimes, because of the humidity, you are not able to keep the ball dry, so you find solutions and discuss it with other players as well," Bumrah stated.
"It was a test for our fitness as well, as you see how hot the weather is, bowling every day and trying to create an impact, a really special win. You use your experience, but it is easier said than done because you have played a lot of cricket and played on different surfaces. You find solutions. This wicket was completely different to what we got in Chennai, so we quickly communicated with the others and tried to find the best option," he further remarked.
Bumrah stood at the top as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the series with 11 scalps, helping India clinch the series 2-0.
"It feels really good. I don't think about all those adjectives (being called a magician). It is really good to get this win; we had lost a couple of days," he concluded.
India will now face Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, starting October 6 in Gwalior.