Team India's stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah revealed that he did not feel nervous at all and was glad to be back after starring in a narrow victory over Ireland in the first T20I on Friday. Bumrah credited the staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for keeping him in good spirits for the comeback.
The right-arm pacer was lethal in his first game for India since September 2022 as he finished with figures of 4-0-24-2 to earn the Player of the Match award. He struck twice in the opening over of the innings, sending back Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker cheaply. Bumrah's figures could've been better had Curtis Campher not hit boundaries in his 3rd over.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Bumrah admitted that he didn't believe to be missing out on something while at the NCA and is glad the hard work paid off.
"I was not really nervous but very happy to be back. When you’re captaining, you are thinking more about the whole team and not just your own performance. I felt very good. So many sessions I did at the NCA, didn’t feel I missed out a lot or was doing something new. Credit to the staff there, they kept me in good spirits. You are not thinking about yourself, you are thinking about others out there."
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"There was some swing upfront" - Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah went on to state that the weather was of a massive help and that they were fortunate to win the toss, adding:
"I think the IPL also helps. It is always good, wherever we go, they support us, that helps us to keep the spirit high. There was some swing upfront, so we wanted to use it. Luckily, we won the toss and it was coming out fine. There was some help due to the weather, so very happy."
The second T20I begins on August 21st.
