Arguably the best fast bowler in the world at present, Jasprit Bumrah was run over literally by a teenage debutant in the 4th Test of India’s ongoing tour of Australia. Sam Konstas opened the innings without any sign of nerves as he went after Bumrah to make quite a statement. He struck eight boundaries during his innings — six off them off the bowling of Bumrah that included two sixes.
The 19 year-old Konstas made 60 from 65 before being out.
Bumrah agrees that things won’t always turn out him favourably.
“I don’t look at it that way. Yeah, I have felt really nice and the results have been in my favour, but I am aware that I have bowled better at different venues. This is how cricket works. At times, your execution may not be well-timed, and still you get wickets, while sometimes your execution is perfect and you get nothing. Thus, it all balances out at the end of it. I’ve seen heaps of such things. “I have been into T20 cricket, playing for more than 12 years in T20 format,” Bumrah told Channel 7.
Konstas employs a reverse scoop to his Bumrah for a six – first time in three years that anyone has hit the fast bowler for a maximum in Tests.
The numbers tell us that Konstas definitely won in the battle with Bumrah, but according to the Indian, he was always in the contest and in fact there were six or seven instances when the Aussie could have lost his wicket to him.
“An interesting batsman as well (Konstas) and I’ve always felt I’m in the game, I never felt I’m far from a wicket. At the start, I thought i might have dismissed him 6-7 times in those first two overs, but that’s cricket; sometimes you get lucky with it, sometimes you don’t, and on off days, that same person gets criticism. Different challenges excite me, and I’m always waiting for a new challenge,” said Bumrah.
Bumrah made his debut in ODI in Australia in the year 2016, and his first Test also took place down under in 2018.
According to the 31-year-old, the country Australia brings the maximum out of him.
“It always brings the best in you. This is how I made my first Test tour in 2018. This was also when I made my ODI debut in 2016, so you can expect a lot of challenges since the wickets are very flat, the Kookaburra ball does a bit with the new ball and then doesn’t do anything,” Bumrah said.
“So your accuracy is tested, the weather sometimes can test your fitness, your patience, so everything is tested. So once you come out on top after that, it really leaves you in a good space, and you can become a better cricketer,” he added.
