Jasprit Bumrah is enjoying a dream debut as India captain with bat and ball as England was made to struggle on a rain-hit second day of the series-deciding Test at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Bumrah hammered fast bowler Stuart Broad for the most expensive over in test cricket history. Then, given the ball, Bumrah took 3-35 to have England limping at 84-5 by stumps in reply to India’s 416 all out. Ben Stokes’ team was trailing by 332 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja’s first overseas test hundred of 104 and Bumrah’s ballistic unbeaten 31 off 16 balls, including a world record 29 off the bat in Broad’s one over, gave India an imposing total.
Led by Bumrah, India’s fast bowlers were relentless against the England batters in ideal conditions and despite rain stoppages.
Jonny Bairstow had to curtail his aggressive approach against the superb seam and swing bowling of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to be undefeated on 14 off 47 balls.
Jack Leach was sent in as nightwatchman but the plan failed. Leach survived when Virat Kohli couldn’t hold a difficult catch over his head in the slips, but Leach edged Shami behind for a five-ball zero.
Stokes had to go in and get through four balls to stumps.
Bumrah dismissed Alex Lees (6), Zak Crawley (9) and Ollie Pope (10). Joe Root survived Bumrah’s hat trick ball, but was constantly challenged by Bumrah and Shami.
Root was eventually caught behind on 31 from delivery by Mohammed Siraj.
Bumrah clean bowled Lees off a ball that came in sharply to the left-hander, and Crawley’s struggle against the new ball continued when he gave a regulation catch to the slips cordon. Pope was beaten by extra bounce and Shreyas Iyer made the catch at second slip after the ball rebounded off his chest.
Earlier, Bumrah clubbed Broad for four boundaries and two sixes in one over which ultimately went for a world record 35 runs.
The previous record of 28 runs in an over was jointly shared by Brian Lara of the West Indies, George Bailey of Australia and Keshav Maharaj of South Africa.
Broad was lit up when India, resuming on 338-7, added a rapid 78 in an hour. India finished with a healthy run rate of 4.90.
Jadeja got to his century after resuming on 83. A square cut of Matthew Potts to the point boundary raised Jadeja’s century off 183 balls. After hitting 13 boundaries, he was clean bowled by James Anderson.
Anderson picked up his 32nd five-wicket haul in test cricket when he had the last two wickets to finish with 5-60.
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