Lack of rhythm gives Bumrah the blues

GREATER NOIDA: India Green were on the field for almost two days and a flat pitch offered little help to their bowlers. Still, the real culprit of the poor bowling

GREATER NOIDA: India Green were on the field for almost two days and a flat pitch offered little help to their bowlers. Still, the real culprit of the poor bowling against India Blue in the crucial Duleep Trophy game was pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Had he not overstepped twice, things might have been entirely different.

HT Image

On Sunday, Bumrah trapped Mayank Agarwal on five, but had over-stepped. The batsman cashed in with a 161. Half the battle was won. On Monday, Bumrah, bowling with the second new ball, again overstepped and nightwatchman Abhimanyu Mithun, who was caught off the no-ball, added 68 runs with Pujara. Bumrah’s bid for extra pace was affecting his run-up.

The stand helped Dinesh Karthik, in next, to raise a 108-run stand with Pujara, Bumrah dropping Karthik for good measure.

Of late, Bumrah has been bowling many no-balls. In the first T20 against West Indies at Lauderhill, Florida, the Gujarat pacer bowled two no-balls against Kieron Pollard. First, he got Pollard with a yorker but had overstepped. Pollard hit the free hit for six. India lost that T20 by one run, and the no-ball hurt in the end. In the second match too, he bowled a no-ball to Pollard, and the free-hit went for four.