Perth [Australia], November 25 (ANI): Following his side’s emphatic win in the Perth Test against Australia, Indian stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah lauded star India batter Virat Kohli for his knock, saying that the team needs his experience in such tough conditions and also revealed his personal ‘Player of the Match’ pick.
Virat, Jaiswal and Bumrah emerged as key architects of one of India’s most important and best overseas wins given the circumstances, as they crushed Australia by 295 runs in the first Perth Test. India has gained a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Speaking on Virat, who shut down critics by roaring back into form with a magnificent hundred, following a soft dismissal at five runs in the first innings, Bumrah said at the post-match press conference, “I have said this before, Virat Kohli does not need us, we need him. He is an experienced player. This is his fourth or fifth tour. So he knows his cricket better than anyone else.”
Bumrah added that Virat looked in good shape and was “mentally switched on”.
“Sometimes when you have such a long career, you bat in tough conditions and he has batted in tough scenarios for a long time, but it is difficult to do that all the time in every match. But he looked to be in a good space and obviously, he got a good delivery in the first innings, but he was still in a great space and he capitalized in the second innings. We needed an experienced batter then. He also played well, and helped his partners play well as well. So obviously, when he gets confidence at the start of the series, you cannot ask for more than that,” he said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
With this century, Virat broke his Test century drought of over 500 days and made his much-anticipated 81st international ton after a poor run of form this year. Notably, besides breaking several records as a visiting batter in Australia, he has also completed 100 centuries in professional cricket, across List-A, First-class and T20 formats.
Bumrah further revealed his personal POTM pick to be young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who cracked a fine 161-run knock in the second innings after a first-innings duck. The captain lauded him for “playing against his nature” and said that he would go on to become a great batsman for the country in the future.
“Because it is his first test, he batted against his nature in the second innings and adapted for the change. That is why I was saying that this is the best test knock I have seen. Because going against the nature and so soon in your career. Because it is very easy. Because you make a run in one way and you want to stick to the same thing. But you can adapt to the change so soon. He will become a great batsman in the future,” he added.
Talking about the memorable debuts of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana, Bumrah said that they were not nervous at all and wanted the responsibility.
“It did not feel like it was their first time playing in Australia or it was their first match. They themselves wanted responsibility. When you talk to them, that we have to make the team do something in such a scenario, they are more than ready. So that is a very positive sign for our team. Because all the youngsters who are coming, they are very hungry” he said.
“And they have a lot of faith in their ability. So if that happens, after that you can learn skills, you can learn things. But if you are afraid, then your fear will not go away. So that is a very positive sign for me that they are not afraid and have a lot of desire to learn. So they have had a very good start and hopefully, they will continue to do well in the future,” Bumrah.
Bumrah said that he does not think that his team has an advantage over Australia ahead of next Test, a day-night, pink-ball affair at Adelaide from December 6 onwards. He said that Adelaide could pose different challenges and there will be a pink ball in use.
“So, yes, you can take the confidence from here. But, again, you have to start from zero. You have to build on from confidence. You have to take the learnings from this game as well. There are learnings for us in this game. So we are going to take it in our stride and, you know, put our best foot forward,” he added.
He also didn’t forget to credit KL Rahul’s solid and composed knocks of 26 and 77 across both innings, and said, “He looked very composed. Even in the second inning, he was quite assured. He gave us a lot of time. He was looking quite confident and he played his shots and, you know, an ideal test innings. I am very happy with it.”
Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first. India was bundled out for just 150 runs, with Nitish Kumar Reddy (41 in 59 balls, with six fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (37 in 78 balls, with three centuries and a six) playing crucial knocks and forming a vital 48-run sixth wicket stand.
Josh Hazlewood (4/29) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, with skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Starc getting two wickets each. Australia’s reply was even worse and they were reduced to 79/9 at one point. However, Mitchell Starc (26) and Alex Carey (21) took the Aussies to 104 runs, giving India a lead of 46 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah was the top-most bowler for India, taking 5/30 in 18 overs. Harshit Rana also impressed on debut with a spell of 3/48.
In their second innings, India swelled their lead massively. There was a 201-run opening stand between KL Rahul (77 in 176 balls, with five fours) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (161 in 297 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes). Following a flurry of wickets in quick succession, an 89-run stand between Virat (100* in 143 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) and Washington Sundar (29 in 94 balls, with a six) and a 77-run stand with Virat and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38* in 27 balls, with three fours and two sixes) pushed India to 487/6. India’s massive lead of 533 runs, meant that the Aussies stared at a gigantic target of 534 runs.
Nathan Lyon (2/96) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood got a wicket each.
At the end of the third day’s play, Australia was 12/3, with Bumrah striking twice and Mohammed Siraj getting one. On the next day, despite two early wickets, Travis Head (89 in 101 balls, with eight fours) and Mitchell Marsh (47 in 67 balls, with three fours and two sixes) did put on a fine fightback, but Indian managed to curb the resistance and bundle out Aussies for just 238 runs, sealing a 295-run win.
Bumrah (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/51) were the top bowlers for India. Washington Sundar got two scalps and Nitish, and Harshit got a wicket each.
Stand-in skipper Bumrah took home the ‘Player of the Match’ for his eight wickets in the match. (ANI)
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