India started off their five-match series against England with a five-wicket loss at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds. The bowling attack came under a lot of criticism for their poor performance, as they leaked a lot of runs and failed to take wickets at regular intervals.
The one name that stood out among the bowlers was Jasprit Bumrah, who looked a class apart, even taking a five-wicket haul in the first innings. England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith has revealed that due to the fear of the fast bowler, he was forced to take a calculated risk, which ultimately paid off.
At the fag end of the run chase of Day 5, India were given a new ball, and it was Jasprit Bumrah who came on from one end, as captain Shubman Gill hoped for him to create some magic. This raised fear in Jamie Smith’s mind, as he decided to take the attack to Ravindra Jadeja, who was bowling at the other end. He did so successfully, as he hit a few sixes to finish the game off early with five wickets in hand.
In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Jamie Smith revealed that he was not expecting Jasprit Bumrah to come in from one end when India took the new ball. Hence, he took a calculated risk to attack and finish the game early, as he did not want to risk the lower order to face Jasprit Bumrah and lose a couple of late wickets.
“The runs at that point (when Smith decided to go after Jadeja) were not too many, so I wasn’t expecting him (Bumrah) to come on and bowl (with the new ball), but you’re just never quite sure, especially in cricket. You don’t know what will happen. I always back our tail, but there could be a couple of decent balls, and suddenly you’re eight-down and the pressure’s back on you again. It was nice to just get it done and move on,” Smith said.
“I knew there was a new ball coming, and it looks as though I’d exposed Chris Woakes (at No. 8) but, at that point, if I’d hit another couple of sixes in that over, you’re taking all the momentum into the new ball,” he added.