"He has got pace right for this surface": Anil Kumble lauds England spinner Shoaib Bashir
Feb 24, 2024
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], February 24 : Legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble lauded England spinner Shoaib Bashir for his spell during the fourth Test against India, saying that the young spinner has got the right pace for the Ranchi surface and credited the team management for selecting him.
Bashir snapped four wickets in his spell of 32 overs while conceding 83 runs, taking wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar and Ravindra Jadeja.
Later speaking on JioCinema, Kumble said, "Credit to England management for taking a punt on Bashir. What I understand is that Alastair Cook was batting against Bashir and some 20 balls that Ben Stokes saw, prompted him to get him on tour to India. He's been very impressive. The kind of lines he bowled as an off-spinner, he has kept it outside of the right-hander's eye-line."
"Very few off-spinners bowl from over the stumps to right-handers these days but he has been very consistent. He has got the pace right on this surface. And look at that length, it's fantastic to see that almost 90 per cent is in the productive area where the oddball will jump. The beehive is perfect for an off-spinner," he added.
Bashir has been great in two Tests he has played so far, taking eight wickets at an average of 35 and an economy rate of 3.29. His best bowling spell is 4/84.
Coming to the match, England scored 353 runs in their first innings after electing to bat. India had reduced England to 112/5, but Joe Root (122* in 274 balls, with 10 fours) roared back to form with 31st Test century. Also, handy contributions came through from wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes (47 in 126 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Ollie Robinson (58 in 96 balls, with nine fours and a six), with both stitching century stands with Root.
Ravindra Jadeja (4/67) was the pick of the bowlers for India while it was debutant Akash Deep (3/83) who stole the show with his opening spell. Mohammed Siraj (2/78) was also good with the ball.
In the second innings, India ended the day two at 219/7, with Dhruv Jurel (30*) and Kuldeep Yadav (17*). Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his red-hot form with a knock of 73 in 117 balls, with eight fours and a six. Shubman Gill also scored 38 in 65 balls, with six fours. Spinners Shoaib Bashir (4/84) and Tom Hartley (2/47) dominated Team India and the Three Lions lead by 134 runs.
