India speedster Jasprit Bumrah had a great outing in the opening Test against England at Trent Bridge, which ended in a draw on Sunday (August 8) due to relentless rain on the final day.
While Bumrah took four scalps in England’s first innings, he returned with a five-wicket haul in the second essay.
Thanks to his effort, Team India bowled out the hosts for a paltry 183 in the first innings and eventually took a significant lead of 95 runs to stay ahead in the game.
Impressed by his performance, former India pacer Ashish Nehra said he never had any doubts regarding Bumrah's form.
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Notably, Jasprit Bumrah had received flak for going wicketless in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in June. He recorded the figures of 0/57 and 0/35 in the two innings of the match which was played at Rose Bowl cricket stadium, Southampton.
"There was some criticism of Jasprit Bumrah, that he is not looking in good form. But I never felt like that. I was never worried and I never felt that we should discuss that his bowling is not going good. It was a matter of time. Once you get two-three wickets, you will see the same Jasprit Bumrah. He showed once again what he is known for," Nehra said while speaking on Sony Sports.
"If you see the last one to one-and-a-half years, there have been a lot of problems in the world. It has been start-stop for the players, the bubble is not easy for any player, whether it is a batsman or a bowler, and fast bowling is a thing where you need a little more time to get your rhythm," he further added.
According to Nehra, Bumrah will pick more five-wicket hauls in the remaining four Tests of the series.
"The sort of bowler Jasprit Bumrah is, you will see more five-wicket hauls from him in this series. Forget the numbers, it can be four, six or three. Once again his bowling was praiseworthy and the best thing about him is that he knows very well when to put in the extra effort in Test cricket."
He concluded by praising Bumrah for claiming wickets at crucial junctures of the game.
"If you see the second innings, he took one wicket at the start but after that when there was a partnership between Sibley and Joe Root, who broke it - Jasprit Bumrah. As a captain, you want a bowler who gets a breakthrough whenever the team requires."
