NEW DELHI: Team India skipper Jasprit Bumrah inspired a spirited group of Indian cricketers to their most commanding Test victory on Australian soil, securing a resounding 295-run win in a remarkable turnaround that will forever shine among India’s golden moments in international cricket.
The stand-in captain, who also got the Man of the Match award, set the tone with an outstanding performance, claiming a match haul of 8/72.India bowled out the hosts chasing a daunting target of 534 for just 238 in 58.4 overs on the fourth afternoon of the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
However, following the win against Australia, Bumrah heaped praise on Kohli, who notched up a well-deserved century in the second innings of the first Test.
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“Virat Kohli doesn’t need us, we need him. He knows what he needs to here, the best. He has batted in touch scenarios all his life..he is in great space. He got a good delivery in the first innings. We needed an experienced batter in the second innings and he delivered,” said Bumrah in the post-match press conference.
“Really happy and proud of the win. To go 1-0 up. Lots of positives to take away,” he added after his first win as Team India’s Test captain.
“When you get out on a low score, sometimes bowlers get desperate. The message was clear to stick to the plans. Very happy to get first Test win as captain. Even when I am not captain, I look to contribute as much as possible,” he added. “Yesterday was almost as good as you want. Batters played long, bowlers got rest. Yesterday was perfect. We wanted to bowl in the evening. We wanted 2 wickets but got more.”
“Rohit Sharma is the captain of our side, I was just filling in. I am going to help in whatever capacity I can,” he explained. “When you do well, you get the positives but even when we don’t do well, I don’t go too down. Adelaide will be pink ball, so we have to start from zero.”
“I will never mind wickets having bounce and seam. I love watching pace bowling. I am very happy. It wasn’t a bowling paradise but very happy with how the wicket was,” he further told the reporters.
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“KL Rahul was one of the big positives from the first Test win. “Very happy for KL Rahul. Batted well in the first innings even in the second innings. An ideal Test innings. Jaiswal, it was his best Test knock. He took his time and batted deep. He has patience. That’s a positive side that a batter is able to adapt early in his career,” Bumrah said.
“Biggest positive for me was no one was down after we got out for 150. Going forward, it’ll be the biggest positive,” the pacer added. “My son and wife are here. It is special. He is still very young but when he grows up, I have so many stories to tell. Winning the T20 World Cup and now here in Perth.”
“Perth was a different wicket this time than in 2018. If was more spicy in 2018. It eased down a lot in the second innings after we batted for long yesterday. Pink ball, I am not thinking about it. We will recover first,” he concluded.
