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Former India batter-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has hailed pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for his wicket-taking ability after he got three wickets on Day 2 of the Headingley Test. Manjrekar compared Bumrah's ability to manufacture wickets to that of legendary Kiwi pacer Richard Hadlee.
“We’ve seen four hundreds in the match so far — three from India and one from England — but which bowler has been truly special? For me, it’s just Bumrah. Yet, just the ability to manufacture a wicket every time he came into the attack is what stands out,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
“The one bowler that comes to mind, someone with that kind of impact single-handedly, is Sir Richard Hadlee. He played for a New Zealand team with a relatively weaker attack, but every time he came on, you felt a wicket was around the corner. The common thread between the two is mastery — when I watched Hadlee from close quarters, he felt like a true master of his trade. I get that same impression with Bumrah.”
Bumrah created several chances but bagged three wickets on Day 2. Three catches were dropped in the slip cordon off his bowling.
Hadlee's Test numbers
Hadlee made his Test debut in February 1973. He had a 17-year-old Test career. He played 86 Tests, claimed 431 wickets at an average of 22.29. He has 356 five-wicket hauls to his name.
Manjrekar on Bumrah's last over
Bumrah would have got the fourth wicket had it not been for a no ball. He bowled a bouncer to Brook and the English batter could not time it well as Mohammed Siraj took a stunning catch while diving.
“In that final over, with Harry Brook trying to survive, what happened was pure drama. We witnessed the genius of Bumrah when he got him to pull a short ball he hadn’t used at all throughout the innings. The setup was brilliant — delivery after delivery outside the off stump — and then came that surprise bouncer. Nowhere in the corner of his mind would Harry Brook have expected it. It came, and he instinctively played the shot,” Manjrekar said.
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