India vs England: Zaheer Khan hails Jasprit Bumrah after 2nd Test heroics

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan hailed Jasprit Bumrah for his all-round performance in Team India's win in the Lord's Test against England.

Zaheer believes that the altercation with England pacer James Anderson acted as a motivation for Bumrah as he helped India win the Lord's Test by 151 runs. Bumrah channelized the anger in the right way, according to the former India fast bowler.

Bumrah bombarded Anderson with short balls in the wee hours of the play on Day 3 of the second Test. That irked the Lancashire bowler, who went on to have a little war of words with Bumrah. The incident escalated on fourth and fifth day of the Test as other players from both teams got involved.

"If by getting angry, he can carry himself and perform like this, I believe he should at times needle the opposition. See, in the first innings, he had gone wicketless and being the class bowler that he is, I'm sure it must have bothered him," Zaheer said on Cricbuzz.

Bumrah scored crucial 34 runs in an unbeaten 89-run stand with Mohammed Shami for the ninth wicket that aided India to set up a target of 272 runs for England at Lord's. Following that, he registered figures of 33 for 3 as England got bowled out for 12 runs in less than 52 overs on the final day. That put India 1-0 up with three more Tests to go in the series against England.

"After that, the whole Anderson episode that unfolded, the bouncers he bowled to him and then while batting, the manner in which the England pacer went after him all those things motivated him, and he channelised that anger in the right way. England must be thinking 'we should have let Bumrah bowl bouncers' and not mess with him. The intensity with which he bowled, was worth praising.

Bowling a slower ball is challenging, but to bowl it from round the wicket, from that angle to get a batsman out LBW, you need bowl from close to the wicket, which is never easy. Bumrah did a very tough job. The thought process was excellent. When you're coming round the wicket, even the batsman is thinking 'they might use the bouncer more'. To bring out that kind of variation and to have that thinking to get that wicket, Bumrah was fabulous," added Zaheer in the same interview.

The third Test between India and England is scheduled to be played at Headingley at Leeds, starting Aug. 25 (Wednesday).