"A bowler generally bowls those kind of balls only when he is desperate" - Varun Aaron on Jasprit Bumrah ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former India player Varun Aaron has opined that England have figured out a way to play Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the second Test. He pointed out that the England batters' approach in the second innings of the first Test made Bumrah desperate in search of wickets.

England beat India by five wickets in the first Test in Leeds on Tuesday, June 24. Although Bumrah registered figures of 5/83 in 24.4 overs in England's first innings, he went wicketless in 19 overs in the second innings as the hosts achieved the 371-run target quite easily.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues,' Aaron highlighted that England's approach forced Bumrah to try too hard in the second innings of the first Test.

"Most importantly, I think England have figured out a way to play Jasprit Bumrah. If you see his last couple of spells, there were quite a few half-volleys. There was a short ball here or there which they could score off, which you generally don't see Bumrah give," the former India pacer said. "As a bowler, I can tell you a bowler generally bowls those kind of balls only when he is desperate, and that also shows that the guys from the other end aren't really providing wickets. So Bumrah has to go the extra mile to bowl that wicket-taking ball, which can sometimes give runs," he added.

Aaron noted that the England batters are waiting for the incoming deliveries and aren't chasing balls outside the off-stump.

"The biggest threat to their batting lineup is Bumrah. I think the way they are showing to play Bumrah is to play the line. They aren't prodding anything that's outside the off-stump, which is making it really difficult for Bumrah to get edges. They are just playing the line and waiting for the ball which comes into them, and that puts pressure even on somebody like Bumrah," he elaborated.

Jasprit Bumrah conceded only 28 runs in his first 11 overs in England's second innings. However, he gave away 26 runs in his next four overs, bowling a few loose deliveries in his quest for wickets.

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"It means he is already one of the greats" - Varun Aaron on Jasprit Bumrah surpassing Wasim Akram's record in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 150 Test wickets in SENA countries. [P/C: Getty]

In a separate 'Follow the Blues' show, Varun Aaron lauded Jasprit Bumrah for breaking Wasim Akram's record of the most Test wickets by an Asian bowler in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia).

"Bumrah is a champion bowler. He is a genius. If any bowler crosses any of Wasim Akram's records, it means he is already one of the greats in the world when it comes to Test cricket, ODI cricket, or even in T20 cricket. He got the batters out with his bowling. The batters didn't play bad shots," he said.

Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 210 wickets at an average of 19.60 in 46 Tests. He has accounted for 150 dismissals at an average of 21.26 in 32 Tests in SENA countries.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer