Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 5 (ANI): Skipper Joe Root might be the batting mainstay for England but India pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Friday said the focus will be on getting all seven wickets on day two of the first Test.
Root, playing his 100th Test on Friday, hit an unbeaten 128 runs off 197 balls. It was also Root’s third consecutive hundred in the longest format of the game. The England skipper had hit 228 and 186 runs against Sri Lanka in January.
Bumrah, who picked two wickets on day one, said he noticed how well Root was playing the spinners. The India pace spearhead asserted the hosts will not just be focusing on the England skipper when the two sides take the field on Saturday as all remaining seven wickets are equally important.
“Every wicket is equally important for us. All wickets are equally important not focusing on one particular individual (Root). We picked up three wickets today and our goal will be to pick seven wickets and we are focusing on that. Not a particular individual, there are many good players in their team and we give everyone equal respect,” Bumrah said replying to a query from ANI.
“It’s very difficult to compare (bowling to Root in 2018 and 2021) the ball behaves differently. He has come from Sri Lanka and have good innings behind him,” he further said.
“He was sweeping and reverse sweeping and while playing the spinners he was staying low to read the trajectory. He played a very good inning,” Bumrah added.
Root and Dom Sibley put England in control in the first Test, forming a stunning 200-run partnership on the opening day. At stumps, England’s score read 263/3 with Root playing on 128 runs. However, India ended the day on a high as Bumrah dismissed Sibley (87) in the 90th over.
Opting to bat first, Sibley and Rory Burns provided England with a good start. India did have a very good opportunity to send Burns back to the pavilion cheaply but wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant dropped the catch off Bumrah’s first delivery of the second over.
The duo then played cautiously to avoid any hiccups in the initial overs, taking the team over the 50-run mark. Ravichandran Ashwin handed India the first breakthrough as he got hold of Burns (33) in the 24th over. Dan Lawrence (0) then came out to bat but failed to impress as he was given LBW off Bumrah’s delivery in the 26th over, bringing Root on the field.
Root, along with Sibley, steadied England’s innings and played some fine shots. Both kept the scoreboard ticking and took the team to the 100-run mark in the 44th over. Root and Sibley kept on building their partnership while Indian bowlers struggled to get a breakthrough.
While Root and Sibley avoided risky shots, they never missed the opportunity to score a boundary on loose balls. Bumrah gave India the much-needed breakthrough after he dismissed Sibley in the 90th over. (ANI)