Bumrah’s best takes series down to the wire

Virat Kohli registered his first T20I win as India’s full-time limited-overs captain in second T20I of the ongoing series between India and England. And he did just that in the final moments of the nail-biting second T20I between India and England at the Jamtha Stadium on Sunday.

After making another stunning comeback to worldwide cricket, veteran Indian pacer Ashish Nehra dismissed the age-related criticism, stating that one practice game is all what he needs to get into the groove.

Nehra brought back some hopes for India in the 17th over as he tapped Ben Stokes (38) LBW, breaking the 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Their bowlers were again excellent as Chris Jordan took three wickets and produced his most economical figures for England and Tymal Mills, with a series of clever slower balls, showed he is a skilful bowler as well as a very quick one.

Bumrah gave away a miserly 5 runs in his final 2 overs. Nehra returned to bowl the penultimate over, but could not recreate his earlier magic and was creamed by new batsman Jos Butler. “Back-of-length deliveries and slower deliveries were hard to get away, so that is what I wanted to bowl”. If Pant is slotted in then it could be either at the cost of Rahul or Manish Pandey.

How India needed him: they only managed four other boundaries in the whole innings.

It began as a do or die situation for team India on January 29 as they have already lost the first game in Kanpur.

Today’s match has become fascinating as Virat Kohli need to win it at any cost if they are to keep their series’ winning chances alive. Sam Billings and Jason Roy broke the shackles with a six each off Yuzvendra Chahal but Ashish Nehra put a stop to that by taking out the openers in consecutive deliveries to leave England at 22/2. “I knew in a game where we’re defending just 145, it was vital to get early wickets, and I’m glad I was able to do that”.

He has been a key figure for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the high-octane Indian Premier League, but, as Virat Kohli recently said, the pressures of worldwide cricket are different. Jasprit Bumrah, under the scanner heading into this game because of some profligate bowling at the death, was the star. “It’s always tough to bowl in the death”. However, with Rahul struggling for form, India couldn’t really get off to a flier. “We’ve come so close after eight runs were needed (from the last over) and then one-ball six was needed, so I was thinking, what are the options which I have”, said Bumrah.

Off-spinner Moeen Ali was adjudeged man-of-the-match for his impressive 4-0-21-2 spell and that too in the shortest format of the game.