India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah claimed five-wickets in a spell on Day 2 of the third Test against England at Lord’s and etched his name on the iconic Lord’s Honours Board.
Drawing from his experiences during the previous England tour, Bumrah dismantled the English batting lineup with figures of 5 for 74.
Bumrah struck early in the morning session, removing England captain Ben Stokes for 44, and followed it up with the key wickets of Joe Root, who had scored 104, and Chris Woakes for a duck.
He later dismissed Brydon Carse, who contributed a crucial half-century, and Jofra Archer to complete his five-for.
Speaking to reporters after the day’s play, Bumrah said that learnings from the past played a pivotal role in his performance.
“I thought about the slope on the last tour, it did not help. My lesson from that was not keep that in mind and I got the benefit of that. In these hot conditions, it is all about maximising the new ball. It was not like that in the previous tour, that has been the major difference,” Bumrah explained.
The 30-year-old pacer also shared how much the moment meant to him on a personal level.
“Reality is I was tired. I can't jump around like a 21-year-old. I was happy that I contributed. The name on the Honours board feels good. It is something I can tell my son about when he is grown up,” Bumrah said.
The press conference took a light-hearted turn when a phone rang mid-question, prompting Bumrah to quip, “Somebody's wife is calling. But I will not pick it up,” drawing laughter from the media room.
Bumrah looked back fondly on the Lord’s Test of India’s 2021 tour, which remains one of his most treasured moments in the whites.
“I don't think about all that. The most memorable Test match for me was in England last time. When Shami Bhai and I won the match with batting, so obviously, I will remember those memories. It is a good thing to come to the Honours Board. When my son grows up, I can tell him that my name is on the Honours Board,” he said.
He added, “And it is also there in many other places. But I remember the memories. In that match, I took only 3 or 4 wickets. But that memory was very special for me because we came forward in the game from behind, and we had them all out in 60 overs. So memories are very important to me.”
That particular 2021 Test saw Bumrah fall for a duck and go wicketless in the first innings, but he later stitched an unbeaten 89-run stand with Mohammed Shami, scoring 34 off 64 balls. Shami blazed his way to 56 off 70. Bumrah then returned to take 3 for 33, helping India script a memorable 151-run win.
At stumps on Day 2 of the current Test, England were bowled out for 387.
In reply, India reached 145 for 3 in 43 overs, thanks to an unbeaten 53 by opener KL Rahul. Rishabh Pant, not out on 19, has so far added 38 runs for the fourth wicket with Rahul after quick dismissals of Karun Nair (40) and skipper Shubman Gill (16).