Jasprit Bumrah once again showcased his bowling mastery and took a fiery fifer that gave India a slender advantage on the third day of the first Test against England at Headingley. In reply to India's first innings total of 471, England were bowled out for 465, with Bumrah claiming figures of 5 for 83, marking his 14th five-wicket haul in his Test career.
The match remained evenly balanced at the close of play on Day 3, with India reaching 90 for the loss of two wickets in their second innings, holding a lead of 96 runs. KL Rahul, unbeaten on 47, and captain Shubman Gill, who had scored 6 not out, were at the crease after the early dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan. A significant moment in England's innings was the dismissal of Harry Brook for 99 runs. The Yorkshire batter, playing at his home ground, narrowly missed out on a century. His innings, however, was instrumental in frustrating the Indian team, who had earlier dropped him twice, allowing him to reach that score. But that wasn't all from the Indian fielders as they dropped more catches which didn't let India capitalise on the early advantage.
Bumrah did earn a well-deserved five-wicket haul and giving India a slender six-run lead. But, India could have been in a comparatively stronger position had their fielding been up to par. Numerous dropped catches throughout England's innings prevented India from fully capitalising on their bowling efforts and gaining a substantial advantage.
Jasprit Bumrah on India's fielding
Bumrah's performance was virtually flawless throughout the Test, with the exception of the final over on Day 2. In that over, he dismissed Harry Brook for a duck, only for the delivery to be deemed a no-ball. Brook, who was on zero at the time, went on to punish the Indian bowlers with a brutal innings of 99 runs. Prior to this error, Bumrah had witnessed three catches dropped off his bowling – two for Ben Duckett and one for Ollie Pope, who subsequently scored a century. The fielding woes continued on Day 3 when Brook was dropped again off Bumrah's bowling. While this particular dropped catch didn't cost India as dearly as the no-ball incident, it still highlighted the team's struggles in the field.
"You can't really sit down and cry. You move forward with the game. So what I look to do is not take it too far in my head and try and quickly forget it because all of them are also young and new to the game. Sometimes the ball is difficult to sight and nobody drops the catches purposely. Everybody is trying really hard. It does happen, so I don't want to create a scene and put more pressure on the fielder that I am angry and I am kicking. It's okay, It's part and parcel of the game. People will learn from their mistakes and this experience.
Ultimately, India's failure to seize their opportunities in the field meant that they couldn't establish a commanding lead in the game. As it stands, with India ahead by 96 runs, the match remains delicately poised, and the final outcome is still very much uncertain.
When questioned about managing his workload, the pacer calmly dismissed any concerns.
"Log bolte rahenge. Ab jaaega, ab jaaega. Mai 10-12 saal se khel raha hoon, IPL khel raha hoon. Jab tak bhagwan ne likha hai khelunga (People will keep talking... I'll keep playing as long as it's written by God)," Bumrah concluded