SCOREKEEPER
Bumrah took 4 of 56 and complemented well with Ravichandran ashwin (3 for 25) and rookie Mohammed Siraj (2 for 40) in engineering from Australia’s 195 collapse.
When asked what the visitors’ hitting approach would be after they finished the day 36-for-1 and the memories of the 36 from the first Test still fresh, Bumrah replied, “We’re not looking too far ahead. Time.
AFP photo.
“We do not want to be conservative in our mindset and be positive. Controlling the controllable ones. Not being reckless, but playing with confidence will be the motive going forward,” added the bowler, well aware of the challenge ahead.
One of the surprising moves of pattern Ajinkya Rahane was introducing Ashwin in the first hour of play.
“When we were bowling in the morning there was some humidity in the gate, so you saw Ashwin and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) take a turn.
“We are not looking too far. We are looking at one session at a time. So we are looking at the things we have to do. We do not want to be conservative in our mindset,” Bumrah said while responding to a query. by ANI.
“We are trying to be positive, you know how to control the controllable. So we are just trying to be in that phase. Not to be reckless but to have confidence and that is our reason to move forward,” he added.
The rhythm spearhead praised his teammates and said that the main goal on the opening day of the second test was to complement himself with bowling skills.
“… because we wanted to make the most of the humidity, we were trying to use them, he (Ashwin) was getting a good rebound,” Bumrah said after the end of the first day’s game.
Rahane’s field locations received much praise from none other than Shane Warne and Bumrah said that in the second session, the bowlers altered the line knowing that the pitch was getting easier to hit.
“There were constant discussions between the bowlers and the captain. The wicket changed after the first session. Batting improved in the second session and the humidity was gone.
“We were just trying to communicate what kind of lines we wanted to throw so we could prepare the field accordingly. When there was less help, we tried to change the line accordingly,” he said.
Bumrah, however, shrugged off any suggestions that this is India’s best overseas bowling effort since joining.
“We didn’t think like that and we just wanted to create pressure from both ends. Ash threw a brilliant bowling pin and so did Siraj. We were all trying to help each other,” said the sprinter.
As a senior bowler, Bumrah was all praise for rookie Siraj, who was decent in his first outing in the traditional format.
“He has worked very hard and has risen through the ranks. He was looking forward to bowling in the first session. Not much happened after lunch and he (Siraj) played with a lot of control,” he said.
“All of a sudden, he started to move and wanted to make the most of it. Playing his first test match, he played very well and had the confidence to use all his skills. It’s an encouraging sign for us and I hope he continues to do so.”
The teams hitting on the second day have won more test matches at MCG, but Bumrah doesn’t want to look at stats like that.
“We are trying to focus on the things that are in our hands. The focus will be on the first session tomorrow.”
Bumrah also brushed aside TV referee Paul Wilson’s controversial decision, failing to rule out rival captain Tim Paine despite replays showing otherwise. The decision drew strong criticism from Shane Warne.
Is it about time the ICC started considering having neutral referees on board by quarantining them as players?
“Look, these are the things that we cannot control, I understand that situations are difficult and all these things are out of our hands, so I try not to focus on those things that we cannot control.
“Yes, it is unfortunate that the referees cannot travel, but it is something that I have no power to change, so we try to focus on the things that we can,” Bumrah said of the decision that he did not. It has a lot of impact on how the day played out for India, as Paine was fired shortly after.
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