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**Bumrah’s** Brilliance Rattles England at Lord’s
India’s pace attack, led by **Jasprit Bumrah**, put England on the back foot on Day 1 of the third Test at Lord’s. While **Joe Root’s** near-century stole some thunder, it was **Bumrah’s** dismissal of **Harry Brook** that truly stood out.
Praise from a Legend
Speaking to Sky Sports alongside **Mel Jones** and **Ravi Shastri**, former Sri Lankan cricket star **Kumar Sangakkara** lauded **Bumrah’s** bowling display as a masterclass. He specifically highlighted the setup that led to **Brook’s** dismissal, appreciating the variations employed during **Bumrah’s** two-over spell.
“But what I really loved during the whole day was the setup of **Brook** by **Bumrah**. I thought that was just exceptional bowling, great control of line and length. I mean, I watch him, they’ve identified that off-cutter as being his big point, even though he bats just outside of stump,”
said **Sangakkara**.
**Sangakkara** continued, “And control of line and length in those two overs from **Bumrah** was exceptional. He went full, slightly short, six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half meters, just three-and-a-half feet of play there, a bouncer in between to push **Brook** onto the back foot. Then, of course, the control on the seam, cross-seam the ball before he got **Brook**, and then a perfect seam angling back in slightly wider to castle him. I thought that was just exceptional skill.”
Disciplined Bowling Display
**Bumrah** ended the day with figures of 1 for 35 from 18 overs, as England reached 251/4 at the close of play. Besides **Bumrah**, **Nitish Kumar Reddy** took two wickets, and **Ravindra Jadeja** claimed one. The Indian team maintained tight control, restricting England’s scoring to 3.02 runs per over, a stark contrast to their usual aggressive “Bazball” approach.
Indeed, since 2022, when **Ben Stokes** and **Brendon McCullum** took over, the team has averaged 4.5 runs per over (ESPNcricinfo).
Root’s Resilient Innings
**Joe Root** remained undefeated on 99 at the end of the day, while **Stokes** was also not out on 39. India will be aiming to grab early wickets on Day 2 to regain control of the Test match.
