Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar hailed Jasprit Bumrah as a bowler without any weaknesses following his impressive performance on Day 2 of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh. Bumrah’s figures of 4 for 50 played a key role in dismissing Bangladesh for 149, giving India a commanding first-innings lead of 227 runs on Friday in the first Test.
Manjrekar, speaking on ESPNcricinfo, praised Bumrah’s ability to adapt to any condition and outthink the opposition, calling him one of the sharpest fast bowlers in the game. “We all know about his variations, his thinking – one of the sharpest thinking fast bowlers. We saw a certain amount of meanness as well in the way he bowled to Taskin. But the one thing that came through today was that he is a bowler without a weakness – whatever the opposition, pitch conditions, and that’s actually the best way to judge greatness. Indian cricket is so fortunate to have him in their side,” said Manjrekar.
On a dramatic second day, which saw 17 wickets fall, Bumrah’s brilliance stood out as he ran through Bangladesh’s lower-middle order. His relentless accuracy and pace stifled the visitors, who were reduced to 26-3 at lunch and never recovered. Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was dismissed for 20, and Bumrah then removed the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim for just 8, leaving Bangladesh struggling at 40-5.
While Shakib al Hasan (32) and Litton Das (22) briefly resisted, it wasn’t enough to prevent India’s domination. Spinners Ravindra Jadeja (2-19) and Akash Deep (2-19) supported the pacers, with Jadeja crucially removing both Das and Shakib in quick succession. Bangladesh eventually folded for 149, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 27 providing the only lower-order resistance.
Following the day’s play, Manjrekar reiterated his admiration for Bumrah, sharing his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter): “Is there anything more left to say about Bumrah as a champion bowler? Well, I realised today that he is a bowler with just strengths, zero weakness. Guess, that’s the ultimate yardstick for greatness.”
