LONDON: An extra bowler would have allowed the rest of the attack more time to recuperate, feels Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who conceded they failed to execute their plans against England’s tailenders on the second day of the final Test.
India had opted to drop allrounder Hardik Pandya and play debutante Hanuma Vihari, who bowled only one over on the opening day. Asked if India missed a fifth bowler, Bumrah said: “I don’t know about team selection.
That’s a question for the management. “When you have an extra bowler, that gives you some cushion while bowling. With four bowlers you tend to bowl more overs because then you have to come back quickly (to bowl). “That was the only difference I felt, otherwise we tried our best, we bowled our hearts out, we bowled a lot of overs. An extra bowler sometimes gives you enough rest,” he said.
England were placed at 198-7 after day one but they escaped to 332, thanks to Jos Buttler’s 89. At end of day two, India were placed at 174-6. Bumrah said: “We were in a good position at 190-odd for seven, but they batted well and we couldn’t capitalize. So it is a combination of both. We tried hard to bowl in the right areas but we couldn’t bowl that well today and they also applied well.”
England’s lower order has been a problem for India throughout this series, and it was once again the case on Saturday as Buttler put on 33 runs with Adil Rashid and then 98 runs with Stuart Broad. for lower order batsmen. (PTI)
