Kohli on Bumrah’s career-best figures: The Indian captain revealed that his fast bowler’s mindset is the reason behind his success.
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Having registered his career-best bowling figures in the first innings, Bumrah bagged another three wickets to not just contribute in the second innings but also put on board his best match figures of 9-86.
In the nine Test matches which the 25-year old fast bowler has played so far, he has picked up 48 wickets at an average of 21.02, an economy rate of 2.65 and a strike rate of 47.4. Three five-wicket hauls (one each in South Africa, England and Australia) in such a short span further speak highly about him.
Apart from impressing the whole country, Bumrah also didn’t fail to impress his captain in Virat Kohli. Speaking during the post-match presentation, Kohli credited Bumrah for his ‘Man of the Match’ performance.
“Credit has to go to the bowlers. I think they have been outstanding, especially Jasprit. The way he bowled in this Test match was outstanding,” Kohli was quoted as saying.
Hailing Bumrah’s mindset, Kohli pointed it out as the reason behind his success in such short period of time. “The mindset he has at the moment is what separates him from anyone else in the world right now.
“He looks at a pitch and he doesn’t think it’s a hard toil, he thinks wickets, he thinks how can I get a breakthrough for the team. He’s as strong-headed as I’ve seen anyone in the past and that’s the key to his success that I’ve seen in the last 12 months, the way he has matured as a Test cricketer,” Kohli said.
The 30-year old cricketer’s remark of not wanting to face Bumrah speaks enough about the potential which he possesses. “In Test cricket, especially on a pitch like Perth, I wouldn’t want to face him to be honest because once he is on a roll, he can really crank it up,” Kohli added.
One of the reasons why Kohli was wax lyrical about his bowlers was them standing tall after the Perth Test. “I think that takes more mentally out of you than starting a series well, so I think that’s why this victory is more special for the bowlers. They’ve been so tired and bowled so many overs. Even in this game they had to put in more effort because of the nature of the pitch. So outstanding, hats off to them,” Kohli concluded.
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