‘140–145 would have been a very good score’ – Bumrah after last-gasp defeat
India seamer Jasprit Bumrah was imperious in his side’s three-wicket defeat to Australia in the first T20I, notching 3/16, and he believes that an extra 15-or so runs would have secured victory for his side.
KL Rahul was the only home batsman to notch a decent score with 50, while Glenn Maxwell’s 56 held things together for the Aussies until his departure triggered a collapse.
Chasing a lowly 126/7 in Visakhapatnam, the tourists faltered multiple times in their pursuit, but Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson took 14 off the last over with Cummins driving for two off the last ball to sneak home.
“On this wicket, about 140–145 would have been a very good score, because there was a low bounce and it was difficult to hit big shots,” said Bumrah. “It’s difficult on this kind of wicket to chase totals.
Bumrah took two wickets in as many balls as he looked to have swung the tie in the penultimate over
“It’s a little different because once you know your target is a small target then once you’ve hit one boundary (in an over) then you don’t need to take a lot of risks. We were still figuring out what was a safe total.”
Bumrah pinned two wickets in the penultimate over as India looked to have clawed their way back into the tie, and while fellow pacer Umesh Yadav could not provide the death-bowling goods in the final over, Bumrah was quick to dispel any notion that his compatriot was at fault for the loss.
“When you bowl the last over in a close game it is sometimes 50/50,” he said. “Some days it works, some days it doesn’t so it’s nothing to be worried about. We wanted to close the game in our favour, but it happens and death bowling is difficult in any situation.”
Bumrah also praised Maxwell, whose dismissal triggered Australia’s fall from 89/2 to 102/5 before Cummins and Richardson did the business in the closing stages.
“Maxi (Maxwell) always, in this format of the game, plays with a lot of freedom. When you’ve got a smaller total like this it’s ideal for him- hitting one boundary and then trying to rotate the strike. He was clear about the plans he was trying to execute.”
India will look to draw parity in the series when the two sides clash in Bangalore on Wednesday, February 27.
