On Day 1 of the third Test at Lord’s, Jasprit Bumrah once again proved why he is India’s pace leader. Even though Joe Root’s unbeaten 99 caught the attention, it was Bumrah’s stunning delivery to dismiss Harry Brook that stood out as the most memorable moment of the day.
Kumar Sangakkara applauds Bumrah’s skill
After the day’s play, former Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara praised Bumrah’s performance during a conversation on Sky Sports with Mel Jones and Ravi Shastri. He described Bumrah’s effort as a masterclass in bowling strategy and control, especially highlighting how he set up Brook before taking his wicket.
Sangakkara said, “But what I really loved during the whole day was the setup of Brook by Bumrah. I thought that was just exceptional bowling, great control of line and length. I mean, I watch him, they’ve identified that off-cutter as being his big point, even though he bats just outside of stump.”
He further explained how Bumrah mixed his lengths and pace effectively over two overs. According to Sangakkara, “And control of line and length in those two overs from Bumrah was exceptional. He went full, slightly short, six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half meters, just three-and-a-half feet of play there, a bouncer in between to push Brook onto the back foot. Then, of course, the control on the seam, cross-seam the ball before he got Brook, and then a perfect seam angling back in slightly wider to castle him. I thought that was just exceptional skill.”
Disciplined bowling on a flat pitch
Bumrah ended his spell with figures of 1 for 35 from 18 overs. Despite the batter-friendly surface, Indian bowlers showed great discipline. Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed with two wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja also chipped in with one.
India slows down Bazball
India managed to slow down England’s aggressive batting style, often referred to as “Bazball”, holding them to a run rate of just 3.02. This has been one of the slowest scoring days in the Stokes-McCullum era that began in 2022.
Root close to a century, India eyes early wickets on Day 2
Joe Root remained unbeaten at 99 by stumps, while Ben Stokes stayed not out at 39. England closed the day at 251 for 4. As the match heads into Day 2, India will aim to strike early to shift the momentum in their favour.
