Jasprit Bumrah, a pacer for Team India, has said that he doesn’t care much what people say about his performances, whether they are good or bad. Instead, he wants to focus on getting ready for each game and doing his best.
Bumrah was named “Player of the Match” for taking six wickets and allowing just 19 runs in the first ODI against England at The Oval on Tuesday. This was the best record of his career. India beat the home team by 10 wickets, giving them a 1-0 lead in the three-game series.
What did Jasprit Bumrah say?
After India’s big win, at a press conference after the game, Bumrah was asked what he did to be so consistent at the international level. He wanted to keep things simple, so he answered:
“I like living in the here and now. There are a lot of opinions and noise in the world today, which can affect you as a player and make you confused. I try to keep my mind on my evaluation and getting ready. I work on my processes and am happy with the outcome, no matter what it is.”
After Bumrah’s six-for, former England captain Nasser Hussain called the Indian cricketer the best bowler in the world for all formats. The 28-year-old played down the compliment by saying:
“I don’t think in terms of how good I am or how good I am in this format, and so on. I enjoy every format. I respect people’s thoughts, but I don’t really care about them, whether they are good or bad. I’m thankful for the applause I get, but I try to keep a level head.”
Mohammad Shami helped Bumrah a lot in the first ODI by taking three wickets. When the visitors needed to reach 111, Rohit Sharma (76*) and Shikhar Dhawan (31*) put together a 100-run partnership that didn’t break. This helped the visitors reach their goal in 18.4 overs.
“That’s the beauty of cricket,” Bumrah said when England’s Birmingham Test stars were out quickly.
In the rescheduled Test in Birmingham last week, England had to chase down a record score of 378. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root both had great centuries. In Tuesday’s first ODI, Bumrah got rid of Bairstow for seven runs and Root for nothing.
When asked to explain the amazing change in luck in just a few short days, Bumrah said:
“That’s what’s so great about cricket. One day, it seems like everything is going well for you. On another day, you can’t do anything right. It’s important to be stable because of this. Every day is different. Sometimes the first ball will give you an advantage. Another day, you’ll bowl all day and never get even one edge.”
In the first ODI, Root, Jason Roy, and Ben Stokes were all sent off before they could score. England had lost eight wickets and was on 68 runs. David Willey (21) and Brydon Carse (15) had to put on 35 runs for the ninth wicket for the hosts to reach 100 runs.
