IND vs ENG: England were looking comfortable in the first innings, batting at 114-1, but then came Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah who wreaked havoc from the 30 overs old red ball with his lethal reverse swing, ending his outing with a six-wicket haul.
England batting legend Alastair Cook praised Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his exceptional performance. Cook said that Bumrah with his outstanding display, single-handedly altered the game's course and "ripped the heart out of England's batting lineup."
"Bumrah has carried India through today and has single-handedly changed the course of this game… Bumrah jumped in and ripped the heart out of the England batting line-up," Cook told TNT Sports as quoted by Sky Sports.
"Root was first to go, Pope to an unplayable in-swinging yorker, Bairstow and Stokes too falling to Bumrah. He has changed the game. He took the pitch out of it; it was down to him and him only. 253 all out is well below par," he added.
Bumrah's one-man show was the highlight of the second day, positioning India for a potential series-levelling victory. Bumrah became the fastest Indian pacer (by balls) to reach the milestone of taking 150 wickets.
The former England skipper admitted that England missed an opportunity to post a good score. Recognising Bumrah's effectiveness, Cook mentioned facing him numerous times but highlighted the bowler's current exceptional form.
"I have faced Bumrah a number of times, but I do not think I have ever faced him bowling as well as that. His awkwardness, his different angles, he creates a different vision for the batter and it makes him sometimes unplayable," Cook said.
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India were 130/4 at Lunch on Day 3 in their second innings, with Shubman Gill (60*) at the crease, leading by 273 runs.
Bumrah's stellar performance, supported by spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/71), restricted England to 253 in their first innings. India had earlier posted 396 runs, led by Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden double-century.
(With Inputs From PTI...)