Southampton: Indian skipper Virat Kohli was all praise and lauded the three architects of his team’s win over South Africa at Hamsphire Bowl on Wednesday — the most resounding one being for Jasprit Bumrah.
How does it feel like when he faces Bumrah at the nets? The Indian skipper noted that one must play good cricketing shots and rely on your technique when facing Bumrah. “Because even if you are a little hesitant, he senses that and then he’s all over you. If he senses someone’s not enjoying the short ball at the nets, he will make sure that the guy gets it in that session.”
Kohli revealed that Bumrah takes net practice seriously and bowls exactly the same way as he would during a match. “He is not particularly concerned about the batsman’s reputation and will try to bounce or york or get people bowled,” he added.
The skipper attributed this attitude of Bumrah to his consistency. Facing a bowler like Bumrah at the nets is always important for a batsman. “He does short and sharp sessions ... but that is with full match intensity.” This particularly helps the batsmen to remain focused, and once he is able to play him well, he walks out with confidence when he goes out to bat, felt Kohli.
Commenting on Rohit Sharma’s match-winning ton, Kohli felt that it was one of the best innings from the opener, especially since there was the pressure of being the first game of the World Cup.
“As a batsman, I know that when you go in and a few balls bounce like that, it’s not easy to gather yourself again and play in a calm manner.”
Regarding Yuzvendra Chahal’s spell which he felt was ‘outstanding,’ Kohli pointed out that even though the ball wasn’t turning so much, the leg spinner varied his pace and was able to bring the best out of the wicket. “It was truly brilliant to see that performance. Breaking that crucial partnership and picking two wickets in an over was, I think, a game-changing moment for us,” he said, adding that both his spinners were brilliant in the middle overs.
