Overview:
Tendulkar weighed in on the tense moment when India declined England captain Ben Stokes’ draw offer during the Manchester Test, stating that Jadeja and Washington Sundar deserved to complete their centuries.
Batting great Sachin Tendulkar feels that India winning two Tests against England in Jasprit Bumrah‘s absence was a mere “coincidence” and the talismanic pace spearhead’s quality remains “exceptional and unbelievable”.
Bumrah appeared in three out of the five Tests in the recently concluded series, where a fairly inexperienced Indian side earned a noteworthy 2-2 draw. The two Tests that India won were without Bumrah, as part of a planned workload management strategy. Tendulkar stated that India’s victories in Birmingham and The Oval during Bumrah’s absence were coincidental. He also highlighted Bumrah’s impact in the three Tests he participated in, claiming a total of 14 wickets.
“Bumrah started off brilliantly, taking five wickets in the first innings of the first Test. He missed the second Test but featured in the third and fourth. In one of those, he claimed another five-wicket haul,” Tendulkar said in his video analysis of the series on Reddit.
“Out of the three Tests he played, he took five wickets in two. I understand that people are pointing out that we won the Tests in which he didn’t play, but to me, that’s just a coincidence,” he added.
“Bumrah’s skill is exceptional. What he has done is truly remarkable. He has been consistently outstanding, without a doubt, and I would place him among the very best,” he mentioned.
Tendulkar weighed in on the tense moment when India declined England captain Ben Stokes’ draw offer during the Manchester Test, stating that Jadeja and Washington Sundar deserved to complete their centuries. He believed India’s decision to play on was in the “right spirit,” even though a draw was inevitable.
“People question whether Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja‘s hundreds in the fourth Test were in the right spirit. Why wouldn’t they be? They were playing for a draw,” Tendulkar said.
“England were applying constant pressure, but still, if batters remain in the middle, it’s a testament to their resilience. Both of them got their hundreds, and to me, the series was still very much alive.”