India vs England: As soon as the ball started reversing, Bumrah said give me the ball, reveals Kohli

Tags: India tour of England, 2021, England vs India, 4th Test at London, Sep 02-06, 2021, India, England, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah

Published on: Sep 07, 2021

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India captain Virat Kohli revealed after the team’s emphatic win at The Oval that Jasprit Bumrah asked for the ball as soon as it started reversing on Day 5 of the Test match. Bumrah (2/27) was one of the star performers as India thumped England 157 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Bumrah bowled an inspired spell post-lunch and cleaned up Ollie Pope (2) and Jonny Bairtsow (0) to put India on top in the Test. England, who had resumed their innings at 77 for no loss, folded up for 210. India thus registered their first win at The Oval in over 50 years.

Speaking at the post-match conference, Kohli said about Bumrah, "As soon as the ball started reversing, Bumrah said give me the ball. He bowled that spell and swung the game in our favour with those two huge wickets. I think you pointed his performance. Rohit's innings was fantastic. What Shardul has done in this game stands out. His two fifties deflated the opposition. I think he batted well in both innings. We never go towards analysis, statistics, and numbers."

The Indian captain also hailed the character of the team after the victory. The visitors seemed down and out after being bowled out for 78 at Headingley. Speaking about the comeback, he added, "Well, I think the best thing about both the games has been the character the team has shown. We are not looking to survive in this game, we are here to win. Really proud of the character the team has shown. It's quite relative to what you call flat. The conditions were hot and we knew were in with an opportunity when Jadeja was bowling in the rough. The bowlers were good with the reverse swing today. We believed we could get all 10 wickets, we had the belief.”

Given the batting-friendly conditions, it was not an easy win for India. England’s openers scored half-centuries again and added 100 for the opening wicket. Shardul Thakur, however, produced an unplayable delivery to send back Rory Burns. India continued to maintain ascendancy after that.

"We know what we need to focus on and we take a collective decision as a group. It's unfortunate they are not here. Everyone is happy with the win. It gives us more motivation to win the next Test. We have the belief, we are just looking forward to the opportunities. The fans have been amazing as well," Kohli added.

India will be seeking to win their first Test series in England since 2007 when they face the hosts at Old Trafford in Manchester from September 10.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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