An engaging passage of play featuring Jasprit Bumrah and Nahid Rana unfolded just before Bangladesh’s innings came to an end in Chennai on Friday.
Act 1: Taskin taken to task
Bangladesh had added 18 runs in 33 balls for the ninth wicket after tea, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed putting up a fight. It’s not the kind of partnership that would overly bother India, but Rohit Sharma’s men were visibly frustrated. Frequent misfields resulting in easy singles, aim-for-the-head bowling: there were concussion tests, near misses and deliveries that kicked up sharply at the batter.
Forget the lop-sidedness of the competition for a minute: it grew your anticipation. In the middle of it was Jasprit Bumrah, the fast bowler no one gets tired of watching.
Over 38.1: Bumrah bowled a bouncer at Taskin Ahmed, who copped a blow to his helmet, with the two batters taking a single.
Over 38.2: Mehidy Hasan Miraz drove the overpitched delivery off the front foot for a lovely four.
Over 40.3: Taskin was not to be left behind. He swung hard at an off-cutter from Bumrah, getting a thick leading edge over the slips for another boundary.
Maybe Taskin missed the cue. As a tail-ender, you can't mess with Bumrah. India’s greatest-ever fast bowler, who merely flashes a sheepish grin whether bowling a jaffa or hurling a rare loosener, brings out his real competitive side when bowling to the opposition’s fast bowlers.
Ask James Anderson, ask Pat Cummins.
Sure enough, Bumrah got into the zone. He had been erring slightly with his lengths through the day, despite producing moments of brilliance. He decided to pepper Taskin with three short balls in a row, a classic set-up.
Over 42.1: A nasty short ball fells Taskin after hitting him on the glove.
Over 42.2: Another short-of-a-length delivery beats the batter.
Over 42.3: A rising short ball threatens Taskin’s body and is kept away amid motivating chants of “Well done!” from the non-striker Miraz.
Over 42.4: A brilliant yorker aimed at the base of the middle stump brings the end of Taskin. He gets a stare from Bumrah as he walks back, who is now one short of yet another five-for at home.
Act 2: Will he bowl, won’t he bowl?
India needed one wicket to bowl out Bangladesh, with Bumrah on the cusp of a third five-wicket haul at home. He had sent down five overs in a row, ideally needing rest. Bumrah’s new-ball spell had lasted just three overs: you just can't over-bowl him.
R Ashwin had given one run in the 44th, bringing Miraz, who entered the series on the back of two seventies against Pakistan, on strike. Caught in the dilemma of managing Bumrah's workload and polishing off the last wicket, Rohit decided to bring him on against the new man in, Nahid Rana. With Miraz on strike for the first ball of the next three overs, Bumrah was kept away. Finally, in the 47th over when Rana was due to face the first ball of the over, Bumrah was given the ball.
It made sense: Rana had a batting average of 0.80 in 24 innings before the game, hitting 12 runs, of which eight came in boundaries. It seemed a no-brainer to target the inexperienced batter instead of the more accomplished Miraz.
Act 3: “Will aim for my head now”
Rana against Bumrah, a supposed no-contest.
Harsha Bhogle, on commentary, teased the batter by asking if he would use the “long handle” against the pacer. The first ball to him suggested he would not: a short-length ball and Rana swayed away from the line of the delivery.
The second ball was a slower off-cutter. Rana made room and looked to slog it away. He got lucky, hitting it over the fielders for a surprise boundary. Bumrah had the familiar grin on his face, aware that he could do much, much better than that ball. But you also knew something was brewing inside him. Maybe a sharp bouncer would follow? Or a stunning yorker or another magical seaming ball?
On air, Dinesh Karthik summed up the atmosphere: “Nahid must be thinking, ‘Oh god, why did I do that? Bumrah will aim for my head now’.”
Over 46.3: Sure enough, Bumrah went for the yorker, but delivered a low full-toss. But Rana was ready, making room and driving it past backward point for another four.
In the space of two balls, Rana had doubled his tally of first-class fours, against arguably the best bowler of the generation.
The next two balls were all about surviving. Rana made room but was beaten and then narrowly avoided getting run out before Miraz came on strike to face Bumrah’s last ball.
Bumrah could not add to his tally. Mohammed Siraj dismissed Rana off the very first ball of his new spell and was quick to applaud his teammate's efforts while walking the team off the ground.
While Bumrah missed out on a well-deserving feat, the short passage of play aptly summed up Test cricket. It’s desperate, it’s tactful, it’s deceiving, and it’s sometimes about luck.
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