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England's Jamie Smith was under immense pressure as he walked out to bat when England were 302/5 in the run chase of 371. India had a sniff of victory but Smith stood tall alongside Joe Root and pulled off a historic win at Headingley, Leeds on June 24. Smith accelerated as India were about to take the new ball. Even though there were not enough runs left, he wanted to nip it in the bud and rule out possibility of a comeback.
"The runs at that point (when Smith decided to go after Jadeja) were not too many, so I wasn't expecting him (Bumrah) to come on and bowl (with the new ball), but you're just never quite sure, especially in cricket," Smith was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
While Bumrah did not return to bowl with the second new ball when 22 runs were left in the run chase, Smith did not want to take any chances by exposing no.8 batter Chris Woakes.
"You don't know what will happen. I always back our tail but there could be a couple of decent balls and suddenly you're eight-down and the pressure's back on you again. It was nice to just get it done and move on.
"I knew there was a new ball coming and it looks as though I'd exposed Chris Woakes (at No. 8) but, at that point, if I'd hit another couple of sixes in that over, you're taking all the momentum into the new ball," said Smith.
"The second new ball can bring wickets but it can increase the scoring rate as well. There's always a little bit of calculated thinking behind it," he added.
Smith on India's inexperienced side
Smith pointed out that run chases like the Headingley are not common. He did not feel India were inexperienced and said that they tried all day to get wickets.
"When they're trying to get 10 wickets and you're chasing 370, it's not everyday that gets done. There could have been some head-downs at the end but they kept trying all day,” he said.
"I see a lot of chat about maybe some inexperience on their part but I thought they were fantastic throughout the five days."
Smith remained unbeaten for 44 from 55 balls and finished the run chase with a maximum off Ravindra Jadeja. He hit four fours and two sixes in the 69-run partnership with Root.
Bumrah doubtful for 2nd Test
The second Test will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting July 2. There are questions over Bumrah's participation in the second Test even though he bowled in the nets on July 28.
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