Vizag, India
India bowler Jasprit Bumrah agreed that day 2 (Feb 3) of second Test against England 'was a good day' as he hit his marks and took six wickets to hand India a 143-run lead. This was one of the rare occasions when a pace bowler took a five-wicket haul on a pitch which is a spinners paradise. Bumrah, however, exploited reverse swing in Vizag and broke England's back, taking wickets of Joe Root, Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes in his 6/45 spell.
"You understand because you are playing three spinners and they will do a lot of work but whatever role you have you have to try and make an impact," Bumrah said after the second day's play.
"And today was a good day. I got six wickets but it's not going to happen every other day. But whenever I can help the team - how can I make things difficult, what is the best way? I try and search for answers. Some days it will not happen, that is how the sport works. When the good days happen, try and enjoy it and take that confidence," he added.
Also Read: IND v ENG: ‘We believe we can chase anything’ – Crawley on England’s chances in Vizag
"The ball is reverse-swinging and the ball is relatively hard, so I might have to come back early and go for a spell," the bowler further said.
Among his six wickets, Bumrah said Joe Root was the most important one "because we understand it's an important wicket in this Test match. He's a world-class batter and we know on this wicket, to get his wicket was really important because the wicket isn't doing a lot. It's a slow wicket. We understood that was an important phase and if we get him out that leaves you in an advantage there. We understand how important he is for the England team so very happy with that."
In reply to India's 396 in the first innings, England folded out for 253. India finished the day 2 at 28/0 with a total lead of 171 runs.