"He just set the tone for the team" - Aakash Chopra names Jasprit Bumrah as his Player of the Match

Aakash Chopra has picked Jasprit Bumrah as his Player of the Match for putting Team India in the ascendancy right from the outset in the first Test against England.

Bumrah returned figures of 9/110 across the two innings in the first Test played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. He also played an attacking 28-run knock in India's first innings to help the visitors get a decent lead.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra named Jasprit Bumrah as the standout performer of the match. He said:

"Who is my player of the match, I am going with Boom Boom Bumrah. I am talking about him because he has taken nine wickets. When you lose the toss on the first day and you are given the responsibility to bowl, it is necessary to take wickets there. He took a wicket in the first over, he just set the tone for the team."

The former Indian cricketer highlighted that apart from striking the initial blow, Jasprit Bumrah wiped out the English tail. Chopra observed:

"After that, he took another wicket and then came back later to get rid of the tail because the tail always troubles us if we see Indian cricket history. So there also he took the wickets, got four wickets."

Aakash Chopra added that Jasprit Bumrah's useful contribution with the bat cannot be ignored as well. He elaborated:

"After that, he came and scored the required runs with the bat because if he had not scored those runs, you wouldn't have got a 95-run lead. So, you need to keep that in mind as well."

Bumrah hits a six by playing a pull shot - 4,6,4 by Boom - this is important run for India.

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 6, 2021

Inability to dismiss the opposition lower-order batsmen and lack of runs from their own bowlers have been a perennial problem for Team India. Bumrah certainly rose to the occasion on both those counts in the first Test.

---

Aakash Chopra on Jasprit Bumrah's second-innings exploits

Jasprit Bumrah picked up his second five-wicket haul at Nottingham

Aakash Chopra also lauded Jasprit Bumrah for not letting England set a massive fourth-innings target for India with his five-wicket haul in the second innings.

"After that, he took a five-wicket haul in great style. There was a time when England had taken the lead with only two players dismissed and Root was playing very well, there also it was Jasprit Bumrah again who took the wickets."

Jasprit Bumrah's 5/64 helped his name get on the Trent Bridge honours board for the second time in his career. The speedster registered figures of 5/85 the last time India toured England.

Jasprit Bumrah has started taking a liking towards Trent Bridge:2018: 2-37, 5-852021: 4-46, 5-64 & his highest Test score#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/HTcsBxvYUc

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) August 7, 2021