Jasprit Bumrah silenced his critics with a fiery performance at Leeds, grabbing a five-wicket haul in his first international outing since recovering from injury. The Indian pace ace, who matched Kapil Dev’s record of 12 five-wicket hauls away from home, also became the first Asian bowler to reach 150 wickets in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries.
After India ended the rain-curtailed day with a 96-run lead over England, Bumrah addressed the media, brushing aside doubts about his longevity and fitness. “I don’t take critics seriously. I’ll keep playing as long as God has written for me. What matters to me is giving 100% every day,” he asserted.
Bumrah spoke candidly about the weight of public perception, stating that he doesn’t let opinions or media narratives affect his mindset. “People can say or write anything. I can’t control that, and it doesn’t affect my preparation or focus. I understand cricket is popular and using my name helps headlines, but I don’t let that get into my head,” he added.
Speaking about dealing with the pressure of expectations, Bumrah explained, “I don’t carry the baggage of what others expect of me. Every night, I ask myself if I gave my best. If yes, I sleep peacefully.”
Reflecting on his injury battles and comebacks, he remarked, “Every time I get injured, people say I won’t come back or won’t last six months. I’ve been playing international cricket for nearly 10 years and IPL for over 12. Yet the same talk continues. Let them keep saying it. I’ll keep doing my job.”
Earlier in the day, India finished their first innings at 471, with England responding strongly to reach 465, thanks to key contributions from Ollie Pope (106), Harry Brook (99), and Jamie Smith (40). Bumrah’s 5/83 and Prasidh Krishna’s 3/128 were instrumental in halting England’s charge.
In their second innings, India began shakily, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal early. However, KL Rahul (47*) and debutant Sai Sudharsan (30) steadied the innings before Sudharsan fell to Ben Stokes. Shubman Gill (6*) joined Rahul at the crease before rain halted play with India at 90/2.
The Test remains delicately poised, but Bumrah’s impact—both on the field and off it—was clearly the highlight of the day.