'Oh my, this guy's a joke': Ollie Robinson on watching Jasprit Bumrah bowl

‘Oh my, this guy’s a joke’: Ollie Robinson on watching Jasprit Bumrah bowl

England seamer Ollie Robinson couldn’t help but fanboy over Jasprit Bumrah who produced stellar yorker to dismiss Ollie Pope in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. To highlight his variety, Bumrah then bowled a slower delivery to dismiss Ben Foakes.

Robinson praised Bumrah and called him the ‘best in the world’ ahead of the third Test in Rajkot that gets underway Thursday.

“Jasprit Bumrah has been crazy good I must have said, ‘This bloke’s the best bowler in the world,’ ten times in Vizag. The way he got Pope out, I was like, ‘Oh my, this guy’s a joke.’ And then he got Foakes out with a slower ball and I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, can this guy get any better?’ You watch him and you think, ‘Wow, he’s good.’ And then there’s something else where you think, ‘He’s amazing, can he do anything more?’” Robinson wrote for Wisden.

Read | Dale Steyn says Jasprit Bumrah has taken the pitch out of equation

“And as a bowler – Jimmy and I were speaking about it and after the last game – to watch him ply his trade in India is really special because we’re always striving to put on a performance like that in these conditions. He’s really special to watch. Credit to Jasprit – he’s extraordinary. He’s definitely given me food for thought in the way that he bowls over here.”

“It’s difficult to pick which of the two dismissals takes the cake. Before the second innings, Bumrah’s yorker that shattered Pope’s stumps – and fetched appreciation from none other than the original ‘Sultan of Swing’ Waqar Younis – was easily the ball of the series, but then Bumrah being Bumrah, bettered it when he rolled his fingers around to set packing Foakes, who had forged the best partnership of the innings with Tom Hartley for the eighth wicket. As India tried desperately to break the stand as England’s last-recognised pair kept chipping away with runs, Rohit Sharma turned to Bumrah… and against all odds, the India pacer dropped his pace and held on to a caught and bowled. Absolute genius.”

Bumrah has been lethal against England in the series with figures of 6/45 in Visakhapatnam and followed it up with 3/46 in the second innings. He played a crucial role in India’s 106 run win which levelled the series at 1-1.

Following a 9/91 haul, Bumrah was adjudged as the Player of the Match. He then pipped R Ashwin to become the No. 1 Test bowler – a first for an Indian seamer.