"He wasn't trying to blast the batters out" - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Jasprit Bumrah's refined bowling approach in 2025 ENG vs IND 3rd Test

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar complimented Jasprit Bumrah for curating different game plans to unsettle the opposition batters. Manjrekar's comments come on the heels of Bumrah picking up another fifer, which helped India to pose a strong challenge against England on Friday (July 11) at Lord's.

With the sun beating down at the 'Home of Cricket', the English batters tried to make merry in the first session. However, Bumrah came to India's rescue as he returned with a sensational spell to put the home side in disarray. He went past the defenses of Ben Stokes and Joe Root and had Chris Woakes caught on a golden duck. As a result, England were reduced from 260/4 to 271/7.

Jamie Smith (51) and Brydon Carse (56) propelled England to 387, as Bumrah finished as India's finest bowler with figures of 5/74. At stumps, India were at 145/3, with KL Rahul (53*) and Rishabh Pant (19*) at the crease.

After the day's play, Manjrekar discussed the bowling tactics of Jasprit Bumrah in an interaction on ESPNcricinfo. He feels that despite not getting enough help from the surface, Bumrah was patient and had a variety of tricks in his bag to inflict damage on England. He said:

"We saw another facet of this great bowler. We saw that he has different ways of getting wickets. We've seen variety of deliveries he has, but we saw today in his five-wicket haul, a different approach, a very humble approach. He wasn't trying to blast the batters out. He realized the pitch had nothing for him.

"Overhead conditions didn't change and the sun was out right through. The ball was also going soft on the bowlers. So, despite all that, just being humble and doing the hard work, without expecting much, he got plenty in return. So we saw the another side of Bumrah. This was more him playing a waiting game rather than making things happen."

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Sanjay Manjrekar praises KL Rahul for his responsible knocks in ENG vs IND Test series

During his interaction, Sanjay Manjrekar also touched upon KL Rahul opting to play responsible knocks in pursuit of helping India build a big total.

When asked about Rahul's importance on Day 3 of the Lord's Test, Manjrekar said:

"KL Rahul has taken even more responsibility on this trip. He's got an attacking game, but he's just shut it out, and flawless defense. Even against Jofra Archer with the new ball, it looked like he could manage him easily. So, he's gonna be crucial for India."

Rahul is India's third-highest run-getter in the series with 289 runs in five innings at an average of 72.25, with two fifties and a century.