Jasprit Bumrah has been sensational in the ongoing Test series against England. In two matches so far, the ace pacer has picked up 15 wickets and with that, he is currently the leading wicket-taker of the series. On surfaces where spinners were expected to dominate, Bumrah troubled the England batters throughout, which has also impressed all-rounder Chris Woakes.
The 34-year-old noted that Bumrah is currently one of the best seamers in the world, if not the best. He mentioned that the Ahmedabad-born pacer is ‘world-class’ and added that it’s great to see Bumrah executing correct line and length in difficult conditions.
“In the last Test match, Jasprit Bumrah was the standout player, he is a world-class player. Across all the formats, he is one of the best if not the best at the moment. It’s great to see fast bowling executed well especially in this condition,” Woakes was quoted as saying by India Today.
Meanwhile, after suffering a 106-run defeat in Visakhapatnam, the Ben Stokes-led side has flown to Abu Dhabi to stay away from the ‘heat of the battle’ as head coach Brendon McCullum confirmed. They are expected to return to India before the third Test, slated to begin on January 15 in Rajkot, Gujarat. Speaking about the rivalry so far, Woakes stated that India are the favourites to win the series on their home turf but reminded that the visitors know what is needed to get the job done.
With the series currently locked level at 1-1, the all-rounder mentioned that the third Test will hold a lot of importance as it’s the middle game of the series.
“When you’re going to play India, obviously India will be the favourites. Team England knows what they need to do to compete and they will see where the series is now, 1-1. The next match will be very important as it is the middle game of the series,” Woakes added.