It Was A Matter Of Time - Ashish Nehra On Jasprit Bumrah's Return To Form

Former India pacer Ashish Nehra hailed Jasprit Bumrah for storming back to form with 9 wickets – 4 wickets in the first innings and 5 in the second – at Trent Bridge against England, after enduring a wicketless WTC final versus New Zealand.

Ashish Nehra said that Bumrah received unwarranted flak for his bowling in the WTC final, and that he was never worried about the champion pacer’s form. He further underlined that with the start-stop cricket in the pandemic it could be difficult for fast bowlers to remain in rhythm all the time.

Bumrah struck in the first over the game, setting up Rory Burns with four outswingers before hitting him with an inswinger. He never looked back and dominated the English batters. Bumrah also made a significant contribution of 28 runs in India’s first innings extending the lead to 95.

“There was some criticism of Jasprit Bumrah, that he is not looking in good form. But I never felt like that. I was never worried and I never felt that we should discuss that his bowling is not going good. It was a matter of time. Once you get two-three wickets, you will see the same Jasprit Bumrah. He showed once again what he is known for,” Ashish Nehra told Sony. 

“If you see the last one to one-and-a-half years, there have been a lot of problems in the world. It has been start-stop for the players, the bubble is not easy for any player, whether it is a batsman or a bowler, and fast bowling is a thing where you need a little more time to get your rhythm,” he added.

You will see more five-wicket hauls from him in this series: Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra further predicted that Bumrah will be bagging a truckload of wickets in the series. The 42-year-old commentator lauded the speedster for his shrewdness in his game plan throughout the match.

The second Test Lord’s, another seam-friendly place, starts on Thursday.

“The sort of bowler Jasprit Bumrah is, you will see more five-wicket hauls from him in this series. Forget the numbers, it can be four, six or three. Once again his bowling was praiseworthy and the best thing about him is that he knows very well when to put in the extra effort in Test cricket,” the 2011 World Cup winning pacer concluded.

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