'Bumrah is a champion player for us'

Last updated on: February 05, 2024 16:26 IST

Jasprit Bumrah

IMAGE: Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Ben Foakes. Photograph: BCCI

Indian bowlers won an engrossing battle against England's firebrand batting for a series-levelling 106-run victory in the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Monday, blunting 'Bazball' with their resilience in a roller-coaster contest.

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Expressing his satisfaction with the team's performance, an elated India skipper Rohit Sharma stated, "Winning a Test in these conditions is not easy. (I) wanted our bowlers to step up, and they did that."

While Zak Crawley's strategy of mixing caution with aggression yielded success, the collective efforts of Jasprit Bumrah (3/46), R Ashwin (3/71), Axar Patel (1/75), and Kuldeep Yadav (1/60) turned the tide in India's favour.

Jasprit Bumrah was named Player of the Match for his nine-wicket haul

IMAGE: Jasprit Bumrah was named Player of the Match for his nine-wicket haul on Monday. Photograph: BCCI

Bumrah, with an impressive overall haul of nine wickets in the game, claimed the Player of the Match honours, overshadowing young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose crucial 209-run innings in India's first innings set the tone for the hosts.

"He (Bumrah) is a champion player for us," reiterated Rohit, acknowledging the pivotal role played by the star bowler in India's hard-fought victory.

Looking at the bigger picture, Rohit added: "You win a game like that, you have to look at the overall performance as well. We were good with the bat. You know winning a Test in these conditions is not easy. Wanted our bowlers to step up and they did that."