After 23 wickets in the series, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah was India’s Player of the Series against England over 5 Tests. But he walked up to the mic during the presentation ceremony rather disappointed, conceding that India had probably let the game slip in the second innings when they were bowled out for 245 after taking a lead of 132 runs. India lost the final Test by 7 wickets as Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root scored sublime centuries in the second innings.
“We fell short with the bat yesterday and that is where we let the opposition in to let the match slip away from us. Ifs and buts can always be there. If you go back, if there was no rain in the first match, we could have won the series,” Bumrah said on the official broadcast.
“But England played really well. We have drawn the series and both teams played very good cricket and it was a fair result. We could have been a little straighter in our bowling lines and use the variable bounce.”
Reflecting on how Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja’s centuries had brought India back into the game at Edgbaston in the first innings, Bumrah said he was happy for them.
“Pant takes his chances. He and Jaddu got us back into the game with their counter-attack. We were ahead in the game. He takes his chances, backs himself and very happy for him. Dravid is always there to guide us and back us.”
When asked about captaincy and his first go at it, Bumrah said he enjoyed it as he likes responsibility.
“The support we reveived has been fantastic in the short time that we've been around. Inspiring the next generation is what we want to do. We want to leave a mark on Test cricket,” the ace pacer signed off.
India and England share the spoils at 2-2 in the series and will now proceed to the white-ball leg of the tour.
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