Captain Jasprit Bumrah admitted that the below-par performance with the bat in second innings cost India the fifth Test against England. After dominating the match for almost three days, India were completely outplayed by the hosts on the last two, as a result, they lost the match by 7 wickets and the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
Bumrah feels that the Indian batters failed to live up to the expectations on Day 4 of the series decider where England took advantage of it.
IND vs ENG 5th Test Day 5 Highlights
“I won’t go that far ahead (of calling himself an all-rounder). That’s the beauty of Test cricket, even if you have three good days. We fell short with the bat yesterday and that is where we let the opposition in to let the match slip away from us,” Bumrah said in the post-match presentation.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow completely outplayed the Indian bowlers in the first session of Day 5 as England chased down the required 119 runs in 19.4 overs.
The stand-in skipper gave huge credit to England for their performance in the series while he also said that India could have won the series if the rain didn’t intervene during the opening Test match last year.
“Ifs and buts can always be there. If you go back, if there was no rain in the first match, we could have won the series. But England played really well. We have drawn the series and both teams played very good cricket and it was a fair result,” he added.
Also Read | 5th Test: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow Guide England to 7-wicket Win Over India, Series Ends in 2-2 Draw
The premier pacer further talked about Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja’s performances in the first innings which put India ahead in the clash.
“Pant takes his chances. He and Jaddu got us back into the game with their counter-attack. We were ahead in the game. He takes his chances, backs himself and very happy for him,” he said.
Bumrah also opened up about leading the Indian team for the first time and working closely with head coach Rahul Dravid.
“Dravid is always there to guide us and back us. We could have been a little straighter in our bowling lines and use the variable bounce. The captaincy is not what I decide. I like the responsibility. It was a good challenge, a new challenge. It was an honour to lead the team and a great experience,” he concluded
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