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Legendary Australia cricketer Ricky Ponting didn't show any mercy whatsoever and criticized Jasprit Bumrah for not being able to get the better of England batters on Day 2 of Manchester Test. The India pace spearhead ended up going wicket-less during the second day of the match and ended up giving away 37 runs in his 13-over spell. Though the conditions didn't provide much help to the Indian bowlers, their performance was still quite disappointing.
England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett provided the side with a fantastic start after India had been bundled out for 358 during the second session of the day. Both the batters brought up their half-centuries and were even scoring at a rate of 5.50 runs per over at one stage. It wouldn't be until the 32nd over that the visitors would finally get the much-needed breakthrough as Crawley departed for 84. However, the damage had already been done thanks to the 166-run stand that the England opners had formed.
Ponting was left quite unimpressed with Bumrah's bowling in particular and pointed out how the pacer was bowling from the wrong end. He further criticized the 31-year-old for the poor execution of his deliveries.
"I think even watching now, Bumrah, I think, is bowling from the wrong end. All the wickets, most of the wickets, have fallen from the Statham end. And he's done most of his work bowling from the Anderson end. So they've been, they were off execution wise. And I think tactically have been off a little bit as well," Ponting said on Sky Sports.
Ponting also raised questions over Team India's strategy
The former Australia captain was not a fan of the tactics that the Men in Blue used throughout the day. Ponting also was left baffled with how India skipper Shubman Gill handed the new ball to debutant Anshul Kamboj instead of trusting the experienced Mohammed Siraj.
"They got scored off on both sides of the wicket, didn't they? You know, we broadly talked then about how they bowled to Pope. I think they were tactically off as well. I don't think Kamboj shouldn't have taken the new ball. Yeah, I didn't like that from the start. And he was, I mean, and Duckett's five of his first six boundaries were behind square leg side. So they got it tactically wrong there," Ponting stated.
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After Duckett was dismissed by Kamboj for 94, the duo of Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) ensured that England didn't lose any more wickets for the rest of the day and wrapped up on 225/2. The hosts are still 133 runs behind the Men in Blue's first-inning total, however they are looking set to surpass it and take the lead as the action resumes on the third day of the match.
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