Dublin, Ireland: The leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi showered praise on India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah after his outstanding comeback performance against Ireland in the opening T20I of the three-match series on Friday.
Bumrah-led India beat Ireland by two runs by the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-curtailed match in the opener of the three-match T20I series against Ireland in Dublin on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Ace India pacer Bumrah shone in his comeback outing against Ireland in Malahide after suffering a back ailment. Bumrah last played for India almost a year ago in a bilateral T20I series against Australia at home. A back ailment would keep him out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, necessitating surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation period.
On his comeback, Bumrah won the toss and chose to field the young Indian side against Ireland in Malahide. And Bumrah got off to a flying start, bowling a terrific first over.
After conceding a boundary with his first delivery, Bumrah’s second ball moved in quickly, resulting in an inside edge off Andy Balbirnie’s bat that knocked the stumps over. The over would only get better as he scalped Lorcan Tucker, who failed to execute a ramp shot. In addition to the two wickets, Bumrah would hit a yorker in the fourth delivery of the over. He ended with figures of 2/24.
Bishnoi said the first over Bumrah bowled in his comeback was a joy to witness. The leg-spinner said that while the first delivery didn’t go as planned, the next five were entertaining to watch, and everyone had been waiting to see this version of Bumrah for a long time.
“The type of bowler he is, the whole world has seen his bowling. It was his first match on his comeback after a long time. His first delivery didn’t work out but the five balls after that was fun to watch. Everyone was waiting to see this Bumrah, and it was fun to watch him bowl,” said Bishnoi said at the post-match press conference.
With a 1-0 lead in hand, India will take on Ireland in the second game of the three-match series here at The Village in Dublin on Sunday.
