In four pulsating overs of immense skill, immaculate control and constant threat, esprit Bumrah ripped out the heart, soul and body of England’s batting on the way to his finest ODI bowling performance at The Oval on Tuesday. In 23 deliveries with a new ball on a greenish pitch under overcast skies, amid excellent carry and plenty of swing and seam, Bumrah blasted out Jason Roy, Joe Root and Liam Livingstone for ducks, and consumed Jonny Bairstow for 7.
He would come back to break England’s highest partnership of the innings – 35 for the ninth wicket between David Willa and Braydon Care – to earn only his second ODI five-for. He would also end the England innings for just 110 to register his best international figures of 7.2-3-19-6, also the third-best by an Indian bowler in Odis, behind Stuart been and Anil fumble. It was also the first time Bumrah had taken three or more wickets in an ODI since the 2019 World Cup in England, thus answering the call about India’s recent inability to strike with the new ball in this format, especially away from home.
At The Oval, it was Mohammed Shame who had bowled the first over after England were inserted, and while he tested Bairstow in patches, there was hardly any indication of the storm that was to come from the other end. Three deliveries before he got Roy, Bumrah had begun the process of setting him up. Seeing that the ball was bending back in alarmingly, Bumrah shifted the line further and further away from Roy.
The first ball had rapped Roy on the pad but was heading down the leg side. Bumrah kept the length full, but not over pitched, and nipped the next one in past the inside edge as Roy went for a booming drive. That ball almost shaved the off-stump. The third of the series started the widest and the fullest, and an undaunted Roy saw the opportunity to get bat to ball and crunch a cover drive. Unfortunately for him, this swerved in late and took a fatal inside edge onto the stumps.
Joe Root c Pant b Bum rah 0(2)
That Root is in the form of his life was apparent from how well he played his first delivery – not committing early, allowing the ball to come on outside off, getting on top of the bounce and tapping it away gently. It was immediately pointed out by former India coach Ravi Shasta on air.
But the delivery that followed was too good even for Root. The threat of the ball coming in can make the ball going away doubly dangerous, and that is what happened. As the shortish delivery straightened and kicked away, Root followed it and nicked behind. ‘Bounce’, the former England captain muttered to non-striker Bairstow as he walked off. Bum rah mini-battle with Bairstow was the most absorbing, also because it needed a slightly longer set-up than the two or three deliveries that the others had managed to last. With four hundreds in his previous three Test matches, including a century in each inning against India at Easton last week, Bairstow is also enjoying the form of his life.
And to his credit, having seen the surrounding him, he was now playing really late.
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