During the press conference before the third Test between India and England at Lord’s, vice-captain Rishabh Pant left a reporter speechless when asked, “What makes Jasprit Bumrah special?” Pant simply said, “I think everything.” He then elaborated that Bumrah’s accuracy and sharp thinking make him a remarkable cricketer.
Praising the pacer further, he added, “How accurate he is, the way his mind works, I think he is just an amazing man.” From Pant’s perspective, keeping behind the stumps to Bumrah in England is more challenging than batting. He explained, “I think it’s more difficult for the wicket-keeper behind the wicket than for a batsman, I guess. Especially in England (the movement he gets).”
Thoughts on England’s Pitches and Team’s Plans
Rishabh Pant also talked about the nature of the pitches in England. According to him, since England prefers playing attacking cricket, the pitches tend to support batting. He shared the team’s strategy for taking wickets in such conditions and emphasized that bowlers and batters both needed to perform well.
He said, “See, the same thing was discussed that the wickets will be good in England. Because the way they play cricket, they need a good wicket for batting eventually.” He added that the team had already planned around how to take 20 wickets even on good batting pitches.
Pant mentioned, “Shubhman was also talking about 20 wickets. So that thought was already planned, that eventually batters have to step up.” He further stressed that while some senior players may not be widely recognized, this series was an opportunity for youngsters to rise. He noted, “Because though our seniors are not very big players, like I said, this is the opportunity to step up. And people are doing that slowly, slowly.”
India’s Record Win and the Road Ahead
India achieved a historic 336-run win in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. This was not only India’s first win at that venue but also their biggest victory in a Test match outside India in terms of runs. With this victory, the five-match series was levelled 1-1.
Heading into the third Test at Lord’s, India aims to maintain their momentum. Impressively, they have lost only one Test at Lord’s in their last three tours. Meanwhile, England, who had earlier chased 371 runs to win the first Test at Headingley, will look to recover and regain their lead in the upcoming match.
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