Wrecker-in-chief Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t believe India squandered a good position after all-rounder Sam Curran lifted England to 246 following a top-order collapse on the opening day of the fourth Test in Southampton. Curran’s resolute 78 bailed England out after they were reduced to 86 for six at one stage.
“You can’t take 5-6 wickets every session,” said Bumrah, who took two crucial wickets in the morning session to trigger a collapse. “They played well too, and built a good partnership between Sam Curran and Moeen Ali. When Curran came in to bat, he was playing the waiting game. As the ball got older, it stopped swinging a lot and there was less seam movement as well. Then he played some shots and they scored some runs. After the break, we decided we had to create pressure again and work hard for a wicket, and things would follow.”
“You can’t be too greedy and expect too much: ‘Oh, they’re 80 for five, so you should get them out for 100.’ We’re happy with this score and if we bat well, it will help us going forward.”
Bumrah, who claimed three for 46, said India were surprised at the amount of movement their attack generated throughout the day, especially in the morning.
“When we started in the morning, there was a lot of seam movement and swing. We also wanted to bat first. So that (movement) was a little more than we expected. We thought there would be a little help but this was more than we expected,” said Bumrah.
“You don’t want to try too much in that case. It’s always better for the bowlers to stick to a line and length, and that helps you get wickets. As a bunch when you’re getting wickets, it’s always good. You can create pressure from both ends.”
