Jasprit Bumrah won the hearts of many after his gesture at the end of the second Test between India and South Africa. The pacer denied taking credit for Mohammed Siraj’s success even though the latter praised him.
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj was awarded the Man of the Match for his heroics in the second Test against South Africa. The pacer wreaked havoc across the Proteas’ batting lineup in the first innings and picked up 6 wickets in no time.
Mohammed Siraj took just 9 overs to pick his 6 wickets. He registered his career-best figures and was one of the main reasons behind India winning the second Test. His staggering spell saw visitors bundling out opposition for just 55 runs.
As he was announced the Player of the Match, Jasprit Bumrah accompanied him to translate the things because of the language barrier. Mohammed Siraj while talking about his performance lauded Bumrah for his success.
Mohammed Siraj said “Jassi bhai hamesha, jo wo start karte hain toh woh message milta hai ki kya wicket pe konsi line aur length better hai. Toh message milne se mujhe zada sochne ki zarurat nahi rehti hai bas consistent (rehna hota hai). Wo chiz pe work karenge toh success milega toh yahi (Bumrah) agar saamne end pe rahe toh bohot hi accha hai.”
However, Jasprit Bumrah, who was translating didn’t mention his name and denied taking the credit. The video of that incident went viral on the internet and it saw Bumrah getting a lot of praise for his gestures.
“When we play along together he gets the message a little earlier because of our experience. We try to analyze the wicket a little quicker so that communication goes in the bowling circuit that this is the wicket and this is what we are looking to do. So that helps him sometimes,” Bumrah said.
Here’s the video:
What a guy pic.twitter.com/vHtNu6E9LC https://t.co/vqClIkwv26
— ? (@J4EGOLDBERG) January 4, 2024
If it was Mohammed Siraj, who picked 6 wickets in the first innings, Jasprit Bumrah was the wrecker in chief with the ball in the second innings. The pace spearhead picked 6 wickets in the second innings and helped India set a target of less than 100 words.
IND vs SA: It was always a dream to play Test cricket – Jasprit Bumrah after winning the Player of the Series award
For this exceptional performance in the series, Jasprit Bumrah won the Player of the Series award. He picked 12 wickets in the three innings and was one of the main architects behind India drawing the series in South Africa for the first time since 2010.
Jasprit Bumrah said that his dream was always to play Test cricket and the Newlands ground holds a special place in his heart. He explained how as a bowling unit they need to be consistent to succeed in foreign conditions. Speaking to the broadcasters, he explained:
“This ground will always hold a special place in my heart. It was always a dream to play Test cricket and the journey started here, there’s always fond memories of my first game. Very happy that it went well today as well. That journey started in 2018 – our bowling unit was experienced and we wanted to create an impact. We knew that if we wanted to do well in foreign conditions, we’ll have to bowl a lot more and consistently.
“In India, the spinners do a lot more work. The vision started from there. Our team is also going through a transition. Lot of the bowlers have been changed, but the message is still the same, you have to keep fighting. It’s not easy playing in South Africa, different conditions, the crowd is also something.”
Jasprit Bumrah is now expected to be rested for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. The pacer is likely to be seen in action next during the five-match Test series against England at home, starting 25th January.
