"Will keep playing as long as God...": Bumrah lashes out at critics following Leeds fifer
Leeds [UK], June 23 (ANI): Following a brilliant five-wicket haul against England at Leeds, Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, playing his first international game after an injury lay-off, dismissed his critics and said that he does not take their words seriously. He added that despite being written off time to time, he will continue playing till the day 'God has written' for him.
Bumrah notched his 12th five-wicket haul for India away from home, tying with the legendary Kapil Dev. He also became the first Asian bowler to reach 150 wickets in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA). India ended the day with a 96-run lead, and the action ended prematurely due to rain.
During the post-match presser, Bumrah said, 'I do not think about that, this is my aura or what people are thinking about. What I look at is myself, my experience and preparation. What people say or write or expect is something I do not have in my control and attach much importance to. I try to tick all boxes, and if everything goes well, that is how it is supposed to go.'
'What people write is not in my control, and I'm not trying to teach anyone or tell them, 'Don't write this about me, write that instead.' Everybody is free to write whatever they want. Obviously, I understand that cricket is very popular in our country. And sometimes, to make a headline, if my name gets mentioned, the viewership increases--so I do understand that. But at the end of the day, it does not matter to me. Because if those things start getting into my head, I will start believing them,' said Bumrah.
Expanding on his thought process for dealing with criticism, Bumrah said that what people expect from him based on his star power and ranking does not come to his mind because it is baggage.
'Every night I ask myself if I have given my 100 per cent and ticked all the boxes. If yes, I go to sleep quietly,' he added.
'What matters to me is who I am and what I believe in--that should dictate how I go about things. If someone else wants me to play in a certain way, I am not that kind of person. My preparation, my ideas--they've always been rooted in my desire to play for India,' he continued.
Bumrah noted that whenever he was injured, he was either told he would not play at all or would not play after six months of action.
'And after so much playing, I am about to complete my 10 years in international cricket, and I have been playing in IPL for 12-13 years. Even now, people say the same things--'Now he will go, now he will retire.' Let them keep waiting. I'm not thinking about all that. I will keep doing my work. I will keep playing for as long as God has written it for me. I prepare my best, and after that, I leave it up to God. With all the blessings He has given me, I try to carry them forward. I try to take Indian cricket forward too,' he added.
A very entertaining day of Test cricket, mostly dominated by England, came to an end with India taking a 96-run lead following the final session of the first Test at Leeds on Sunday
At the end of the day's play, which was cut short due to rain, India ended with 90/2, with KL Rahul (47*) and skipper Shubman Gill (6*) unbeaten.
India kickstarted the final session at 0/0, having secured a six-run lead over England, who were bundled out for 465 runs in their first innings in reply to Team India's first innings total of 471 runs.
The Asian giants were off to a poor start as Yashasvi Jaiswal could not follow up his first-innings ton with something special, falling for just four in 11 balls to Brydon Carse, edging it into the hands of wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith. India was 16/1 in 3.1 overs.KL Rahul, on the other hand, looked rock-solid, with two boundaries against Chris Woakes, and even Sai Sudharsan got a four on his first ball.
Rahul was extremely watchful against pace, leaving the ball whenever needed, but punishing them with full disdain after sensing an opportunity. The duo took India to the 50-run mark in 12.1 overs.
Sudharsan and Rahul steadied the ship for India, placing some well-timed boundaries at the right time.
However, in the 21st over, skipper Ben Stokes got the ball and the skipper produced a miracle. Sudharsan's promising knock was cut short at 30 in 48 balls, with four boundaries. He attempted a flick, which landed into the hands of Zack Crawley at midwicket. After a first-innings duck, Sudharsan looked set for a fine score but could not convert. India was 82/2, with a 66-run partnership cut short.
The final session was cut short due to rain. Rahul was joined by skipper Shubman Gill, who was unbeaten on 6*.
Earlier, England started the second session at 327/5, with Harry Brook (57*) and Jamie Smith (29*) unbeaten. Brook continued his counter-attack, while Smith (40 in 52 balls, with five fours and a six), Chris Woakes (38 in 55 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Brydon Carse (22 in 23 balls, with four boundaries) also piled up useful scores.
Brook missed out on his century, scoring 99 in 112 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes, with Prasidh Krishna getting him caught by Shardul Thakur at deep backwards square leg. A 55-run stand between Woakes and Carse took England past the 400-run mark, and they threatened to surpass India's first innings total before Jasprit Bumrah came in clutch.
Bumrah (5/83) and Prasidh Krishna (3/128) were the top bowlers as England was bowled out for 465.
England kickstarted the first session of the day at 209/3, with Ollie Pope (100*) and Brook (0*) unbeaten. While Prasidh struck early to remove Pope (106 in 137 balls, with 14 fours), Brook stitched a 51-run stand with skipper Ben Stokes (20 in 52 balls) and a 73-run stand with Smith, taking England well beyond the 300-run mark at session end. A century by Ollie Pope (106 in 137 balls, with 14 fours) and fifty from Ben Duckett (62 in 94 balls, with nine fours) on day two served as valuable contributions as well.
Brief Scores: England: 465 (Ollie Pope: 106, Harry Brook 99, Jasprit Bumrah 5/83) vs India: 471 and 90/2 (KL Rahul 47*, Sai Sudharsan 30, Ben Stokes 1/18). (ANI)
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