Jasprit Bumrah said that he will relish the challenge of facing England’s talked-about Bazball in India’s upcoming Test series against the Three Lions.
Ever since Ben Stokes took charge of the Test team after Joe Root stepped down, England’s approach to playing the purest format has taken a turn.
England have dominated most opponents and also drew their Test series against Australia 2-2 last year at home. Former New Zealand batter Brendon McCullum has also contributed to the new look of England’s Test team after he took over from Chris Silverwood in 2022.
The 30-year-old Bumrah, in the meantime, said that if England go for Bazball and play attacking cricket, it gives him the chance to pick up ‘heaps of wickets’.
JASPRIT BUMRAH NOT FUSSED BY BAZBALL
“I don’t really relate to the term Bazball. But they are playing successful cricket and the aggressive route of taking the opposition on, showing the world there’s another way to play Test cricket,” Bumrah was quoted as saying in an interview with The Guardian.
“As a bowler, what I think is that it keeps me in play. And if they’re going for it, playing so fast, they won’t tire me out, I could get heaps [of wickets]. I always think about how I can use things to my advantage. Kudos to them but, as a bowler, you’re in the game,” he added.
Bumrah recently played in the Test series against South Africa and looked in excellent rhythm. The pacer got a 4-wicket and a 5-wicket to finish with 12 scalps from 2 matches at an economy rate of 3.19. Bumrah also won the Player of the Series award after becoming the leading wicket-taker in the two-match series against the Proteas.
India’s Test series against Stokes’ England is scheduled to get underway on Thursday, January 25 with the opening game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
