Former England captain Nasser Hussain showered praise on Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah after his exploits in the first ODI at The Oval in London on Tuesday. The ace pacer returned with career-best figures of 6/19 to derail the English batting after Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first on an overcast morning.
Bumrah struck twice in his first over, dismissing Jason Roy and Joe Root for individual ducks. He then dismissed the in-form Jonny Bairstow before cleaning up the tail in his second spell. David Willey (26) and Brydon Carse (15) tried to resist but fell short in front of Bumrah’s brilliance.
The Gujarat-born cricketer returned with figures of 6/19 as the hosts were all out for a paltry 110. Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Nasser Hussain showered praise for the Indian pacer, saying that currently, only a few other bowlers in the world are close competitors of Jasprit Bumrah.
“Bumrah would have to be the best all-format bowler in world cricket. Who would be the challengers? Maybe Trent Boult, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Jofra Archer when fit. But right now, he is the best there is,” Hussain wrote.
“The performance in this game was spectacular, high-class. Some of the balls were absolute jaffas. He has the unusual action and run-up so the ball does come at you like a thunderbolt. He also swings it both ways – but he does not just swing it, he is quick as well,” he added.
"Alexa, please play Jasprit Bumrah"
"Sorry, Jasprit Bumrah is unplayable"#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/HN7G9scrgx— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 12, 2022
England lost five wickets for 26 runs, with three out of the top four perishing for ducks. Buttler top-scored with 30 to give the hosts something to bowl at. However, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave the England bowlers no chance. The pair completed the chase in 18.4 overs as Sharma scored a 58-ball 76.
“Sometimes you just have to say that it’s wonderful bowling” – Nasser Hussain
Despite lauding the Indian bowlers, Nasser Hussain believes England shouldn’t panic. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the new management deserves some time to create their own identity.
“I don’t think you can be overly critical of England’s batters. Sometimes you just have to say that it’s wonderful bowling. Today was a day to be a bowler and England’s batters were found wanting – but it is absolutely not the time to panic in any way at all,” he added.
India will aim to take an unassailable lead in the series by winning the second ODI against England. It will be played at Lord’s on Thursday.
