[WATCH] ENG vs IND 2025: Jasprit Bumrah engages in animated discussion with Gautam Gambhir after India's dismal bowling show. (Source: X)
India’s ace pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, was involved in an animated conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir in the dressing room on Day 2 of the first Test against England at Headingley. The incident, caught on camera, showed Bumrah expressing his views after an exhausting session in which he single-handedly kept the visitors in the contest, with no support from his fellow bowlers.
India had earlier posted a strong total of 471 thanks to centuries from Shubman Gill (147), Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). In reply, the hosts had an underwhelming start as Bumrah dismissed Zak Crawley in the very first over. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur looked poor in their spells as England’s second-wicket pair of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope stitched a solid 122-run stand, getting them back into the game.
The 31-year-old was the only positive in India’s bowling effort, picking up all three English wickets that fell on the day. Not only did he remove Crawley and later Duckett with an inside edge, but he also dismissed Joe Root for the 10th time in Tests. Notably, two chances were put down in the field during his bowling as Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped Pope at third slip, while Jadeja dropped Duckett earlier at gully.
Pope made the most of his lifelines, going on to score an unbeaten ton by stumps. His innings, along with Duckett’s 62, helped the hosts end the day at 209/3, trailing by 262 runs.
Apart from Bumrah, Indian bowlers struggled with both line and length, allowing the English batters to find scoring opportunities with ease. This is not the first time India’s bowling has looked heavily reliant on Bumrah. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year witnessed similar patterns. The ongoing Headingley Test has so far shown a familiar template.
