India pacer Jasprit Bumrah said he wasn’t too sure how the pitch at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will behave in the coming days and will adopt a wait-and-watch policy, after England opener Dom Sibley and captain Joe Root frustrated the home team’s bowlers with a 200-run partnership for the third wicket on the opening day of the first Test on Friday.
“It is difficult to assess till both teams have bowled... We will see session by session how the wicket is changing. We can then adapt accordingly and make changes to our plans if need be,” Bumrah said during a virtual press conference after the first day’s play.
Bumrah and fellow fast bowler Ishant Sharma were seen complaining to the umpires between the 40th and 45th overs about the stitching on the new variant of the SG ball wearing off. They even started asking for the new ball much ahead of the stipulated 80 overs.
“The ball did become soft after a while. The wickets too were on the flatter side and so the bounce was less. So, you are left with limited options trying to figure out what to do. It was difficult. We can’t shine it well with saliva because of the Covid-19 rules... In India, the ball gets roughed up, and in order to get reverse swing, you have to make one side heavy. Sometimes sweat doesn’t really serve the purpose,” he said.
Root, coming in at the fall of England's second wicket with the score on 63, became the ninth batsman in history to score a century in his 100th Test match.
“He has some good innings behind him (228 and 186 against Sri Lanka in his last two games). He was sweeping and reverse-sweeping as well. I have noticed that while playing the spinners, he was staying low and trying to read the trajectory very quickly. He played a good innings. Full credit to him,” the 27-year-old said about the England captain.
Bumrah brought an end to the day’s play with the wicket of Sibley off the third ball of the 90th over. England will resume its first innings on Saturday at 263 for three.
Comments
SHARE