Ace India pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who showed glimpses of brilliance in his comeback match against Ireland on Friday, expressed he didn’t feel like he had missed out on much or that he was trying anything entirely new.
Captaining the young Indian side on his much-awaited comeback, Bumrah had a perfect start, picking up wickets in the first over of the innings. He ended with figures of 2/24.
“Felt very good, so many sessions I did at the NCA, didn’t feel I missed out a lot or was doing something new. Credit to the staff, they kept me in good spirits. You are not thinking about yourself, you are thinking about others out there. Not really nervous but very happy,” Bumrah said after the match.
Besides Bumrah, debutant Prasidh Krishna and spinner Ravi Bishnoi also chipped in with 2 wickets each as India restricted Ireland to 139/7. In return, had a solid start, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad looking assured. But Ireland fought back, as Craig Young dismissed Jaiswal and Tilak Varma in back-to-back deliveries.
Then, the rain started pouring at the 6.5 over mark, with India’s score at 47/2, two runs ahead of the DLS par score. With covers firmly in place as it was still raining, the two umpires had a chat with Bumrah and Paul Stirling and decided to call it a match and India sealed a win by two runs (DLS method) and took a 1-0 series lead.
Speaking about the match, Bumrah said: “There was some swing upfront so we wanted to use it. Luckily, we won the toss and it was coming out fine. There was some help due to the weather, so very happy. In every game, you would want more.
At one point, it was looking gloomy for the hosts as they were struggling 59/6 but brilliant knocks from Curtis Campher (39) and Barry McCarthy (51*) propelled them to a competitive score.
“They (Ireland) played well, after a crisis, they played well. credit where it is due. Even when you win, there are areas to improve on. Everybody is very confident; they are very well prepared. I think the IPL also helps. It is always good, wherever we go, they support us, that helps us to keep the spirit high,” he added.
