When playing for country, you are not going to back down: Jansen on altercation with Bumrah
Jan 17, 2022
Paarl [South Africa], January 17 : South Africa left-arm seamer Marco Jansen on Monday opened up on his altercation with India seamer Jasprit Bumrah during the Johannesburg Test.
South Africa and India will lock horns in a three-match ODI series, with the first match set to be played on Wednesday in Paarl. Earlier, the Proteas had defeated India 2-1 in the Test series. Marco Jansen had a good show with the ball as he went on to take 19 wickets in the Test series.
"Obviously, felt good to have gotten a chance in the Test team and then to contribute to the side's cause. I did not expect to do that well in the series. Very glad that we won the series 2-1. India has not won a Test series in our conditions, glad that we could maintain that record," said Jansen during a virtual press conference.
"The first innings of the first Test sums it up really well. I did not start the way I wanted to and I was very nervous. It is normal for every player to get nervous. Off the field, I am a chill guy, I am an introvert but when I am on the field, I want to express myself," he added.
When asked about his aggressive nature on the field, Jansen said: "I love this sport, I have wanted to play since I was a child. All the emotions show how much love and passion I have for the game. Obviously, I played with Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL, we are good friends but sometimes on the field, things get heated."
"You play for your country, you are not going to back down for anyone and obviously, he plays the same way as well. There are no hard feelings, it just happened in the heat of the moment (on altercation with Bumrah in the Johannesburg Test)," he added.
When asked about what would the ODI series against India mean, Jansen said: "Obviously, we are taking momentum from the Test series into the ODIs. But we are not underestimating India at all, India is one of the best teams in the world so we have to bring our A-game. We are looking to take the fight to them. We have to be as prepared as we can, a series win against India would be big."
