On Tuesday, India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ripped apart the England top-order in the first ODI at The Oval in London to register the third-best bowling figures by an Indian in the format.
Jasprit Bumrah's mastery not only left the English batting in tatters but also led to an England collapse not seen in recent times in ODIs.
Jasprit Bumrah began his six-wicket haul with the wicket of England opener Jason Roy who failed to trouble the scorers as he got bowled for a duck in the second over of the contest.
The 28-year-old fast bowler then got rid of the dangerous Joe Root and the swashbuckling Jonny Bairstow for zero and seven respectively.
Joe Root in particular had no clue whatsoever as the ball jumped from a good length area before taking an outside edge of his bat. The 31-year-old cricketer who was in the form of life in recent Test matches against both New Zealand and India was caught behind by Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Jasprit Bumrah, subsequently, scalped the wickets of Liam Livingstone, David Willey, and Brydon Carse to become the first Indian pacer to take six wickets on English soil in a One-Day International.
Bumrah's figures of 6/19 are also the third-best figures by an Indian with Stuart Binny with his 6/4 against Bangladesh in 2014 and Anil Kumble with his 6/12 against West Indies in 1993 ahead of him.
Bumrah was fully supported by Mohammed Shami in his exploits as the Bengal bowler took three wickets to end the England innings at 110, the Three Lions' lowest total against India in ODIs.
In reply, captain Rohit Sharma and veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan raced through to the target with more than 31 overs to spare. While Rohit smacked a quickfire 76 off 58 balls, including seven boundaries and five sixes, Dhawan gave him company with his knock of 31 off 54 deliveries to complete a memorable 10-wicket triumph for India.
Yet it was Jasprit Bumrah who stole the limelight from everyone else as his performance earned him rave reviews from former cricketers and fans alike on social media.
“Alexa, please play Jasprit Bumrah.” “Sorry, Jasprit Bumrah is unplayable,” Wasim Jaffer tweeted.
“What a spell! Can't take my eyes off this performance by Bumrah,” noted commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote on Twitter.
“Bumrah and co. have made sure that Kohli doesn’t feel too bad about missing this game,” former India opener Aakash Chopra said.
“The best by a country mile,” ex-England captain Michael Vaughan declared.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah was delighted with his display as he acknowledged that there was swing on offer early in the England essay and he made good use of it to put their batters under pressure.
“When there is swing to offer and seam movement, it is exciting times for white-ball cricket. Very happy when there was some help for us in the beginning. When I bowled the first ball, I saw some swing… If there is no swing, you pull your length back. When the ball is doing something, you don't have to try too much. But when the wicket is flat, your accuracy is tested,” Jasprit Bumrah said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Jasprit Bumrah also hailed his pace bowling partner Mohammed Shami who was equally effective against England in the first match of the three-game ODI series.
“As soon as he [Shami] bowled the first over, we felt he can go fuller since there was some help. He had a discussion with me that we should go fuller. Very happy for him, but when he beats the bat, I told him there will be a day when he runs through sides! When the bowling is moving around, the slip cordon and keeper are very active. Very happy for Pant [for his catches]!” Jasprit Bumrah added.
Skipper Rohit Sharma too heaped rich praise on his bowlers.
“Looking at the pitch and the overhead conditions, it [bowling] was the right call to make. We never really worry about the conditions,” Rohit Sharma said.
“We saw during the T20s as well when the pitch was flat; we came out and did the job. Today was more suitable for the fast bowlers… When you play in conditions like that, you need to understand what kind of assistance bowlers are going to get… We know the quality of the bowlers,” Rohit Sharma added.
“[Dhawan and I] have played a lot of cricket together. We understand each other well, except for the first ball [when there was a run-out chance]… We know what he brings for us; a very experienced player. The pull or hook is a high-risk shot, but I back myself to play that. As long as it keeps coming, I am happy,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
The second ODI match between England and India will be played at the home of cricket, the Lord's on Thursday.