ENG vs IND 2018: 3rd Test -Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant's Selection was a Masterstroke - Dilip Vengsarkar

Former India cricketer and selector Dilip Vengsarkar feels the selection of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant for the third Test against England at Trent Bridge was a masterstroke.

Meanwhile, India did a 360-degree turnaround to win the third Test after two defeats at Edgbaston and Lord’s. This will undoubtedly go down as one of their biggest wins as they defeated the hosts by 203 runs.

Vengsarkar feels this is the beginning of a historic turnaround and if they manage to win the next, India will win the series.

“If they do well in the next Test match and win it they will go on to win the series. After this win, they will be high on confidence. The team is gelling well and they have been in England for two months now,” Dilip Vengsarkar told India Today.

One of Virat Kohli‘s criticisms as captain has been his propensity to ring in frequent team changes. However, on this occasion, Kohli got that right too. Dilip Vengsarkar believes the positive playing eleven changes to have made the difference.

“At Lords, they were disheartened. In the third Test match, Virat did extremely well not just as a batsman but also as a captain. I would say Bumrah and Rishab Pant’s inclusion was a masterstroke,” he says.

Dilip Vengsarkar showered praise of Jasprit Bumrah

Fit-again Bumrah’s return to the first XI of India was inevitable with the kind of impact he had on his debut series in South Africa. Vengsarkar feels Bumrah has done an excellent job on his first-ever Test in England.

“For someone playing his first ever Test in England, Bumrah bowled extremely well. He has pace and his peculiar action where he seems to slant the ball in and it straightens and goes outside is very important.

“He did well with the first new ball but his second new spell was outstanding,” Dilip Vengsarkar said.

In conclusion, Vengsarkar talked highly of the debutant Rishabh Pant, who had an outstanding game. Pant bagged seven catches including five in the first innings. He also showed immense prospect with the bat which will boost the team in the games to come.

The fourth Test between England India starts on August 30 at Southampton.