On Sunday, October 8, at Chepauk in Chennai, the Men in Blue knocked out Australia for 199 in their tournament debut. Bumrah recorded figures of 2/35 in 10 overs. Then, with 52 deliveries remaining, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul put together a 165-run fourth-wicket combination to enable the two-time winners achieve a six-wicket victory.
When questioned about how Bumrah’s dismissal of Mitchell Marsh set the tone for the game during a debate on Star Sports, Pathan responded:
“Absolutely, you won’t get a better bowler than him. You won’t get a more experienced bowler than Jasprit Bumrah. He is in form, knows these pitches and conditions very well, and knows best how to adjust his bowling accordingly.”
Irfan Pathan
The previous Indian all-rounder continued:
“He dismissed Marsh by setting him up. He was bowling inswing before this and here he made the ball to go straight, and made it look like an outswinger for the batter. Virat Kohli definitely took an exceptional catch but the way Bumrah bowls, if he remains fit for the entire World Cup, no team can stop us from lifting the trophy.”
Irfan Pathan
In the third over of the Australian inning, Bumrah had Marsh expertly collected by Virat Kohli at first slip. Later, for his second wicket, he had Pat Cummins caught by Shreyas Iyer at long-on.
“He rectified his mistake after the first ball he bowled” – Irfan Pathan
When Irfan Pathan was questioned more about Mohammed Siraj’s patient bowling and lack of haste to get up wickets, he responded:
“He rectified his mistake after the first ball he bowled which went for a four. He tried to consistently bowl at the stumps after that and pulled his length slightly back as well.”
Irfan Pathan
Pathan continued, “The Hyderabad seamer quickly overcame early nerves and bowled appropriately.” He clarified:
“We need to keep in mind as well that Siraj was playing his first match of a World Cup. A few nerves were visible at the start as well but he is in form, found his length quickly, pulled it back and bowled by hitting the wicket, and finally he got a wicket too.”
Irfan Pathan
In his 6.3 overs of bowling, Siraj had a return of 1/26. He put an end to the Australian innings by getting Mitchell Starc to bounce and be caught by Shreyas Iyer.
