Star Indian batter Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja injected some levity to the proceedings when they playfully mocked their teammate, Jasprit Bumrah’s distinctive bowling action ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.
As they waited for the toss, delayed by a wet outfield, Kohli and Jadeja were keeping everyone entertained with their mimicry of the Bumrah style, a trademark in itself. This should explain why his action has become a hallmark in cricket; the unorthodox yet effective technique speaks of him as the unique arm of the Indian team that happens to be hooked for sheer skill. The comedy continued as they mimicked Bumrah’s peculiar practice, too, of walking back to his mark after delivering the ball.
When the weather finally improved, India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to field first, a decision that very soon was vindicated as India made early breakthroughs in Bangladesh’s batting lineup. The Bangladeshi team, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, made two changes in their playing XI, with this match quite possibly marking veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s last Test appearance as he has been a glaring absence in Bangladeshi cricket.
He justified Rohit’s decision to have them bat first by a fiery opening spell where he dismissed both openers, Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan, in his first three overs. Though Shadman and Zakir did show some resistance early on against India frontline bowlers Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, it was the pressure of not scoring at all that eventually did him in and out.
With Bumrah also displaying his real bowling class along with Siraj, the top order did their job in foiling Bangladesh and getting India off to a great start on Day 1 of this Test.
