ENG vs IND: How Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope neutralised Jasprit Bumrah in 1st Test

India Today

5 hours ago

"I've faced him in a five-Test series before. I know what he's going to do to me, and the good thing about that is I know what skills he has," Ben Duckett said before the start of the 5-match Test series against India.For someone with Ben Duckett's history of interviews, it was a brave statement to make, given a backlash was expected if he were to fail against the best bowler in the world. But here we are, a full five days of Test cricket later, with Ben Duckett smiling ear to ear after he helped England gun down a 371-run total in Leeds.advertisementBen Duckett's breakdown of Bumrah was methodical, something that we have rarely seen by an opening batter in a Test match. It was very Travis Head-esque in many ways. He knew that if he was able to survive the first spell, runs would be there for the taking.
While we harp on Duckett, who is slowly getting into the conversation of one of the best all-format batters going around, one more name needs to be mentioned. Ollie Pope, the England vice-captain, came into the Test series with his spot in question. At the pre-match press conference, Ben Stokes had to explicitly mention that Pope would be playing ahead of Jacob Bethell in the first game of the series.And that trust was paid in full. Like he does in most series, Pope started exceptionally well. His century in the first innings, where he batted from the second over itself, was instrumental in England nullifying India's massive first innings total of 471 runs.advertisementPope, who has been dismissed by Bumrah five times in the nine Test matches, put up a brave face and executed a plan that might get replicated in the near future against the star India fast bowler.Pope rotated strike often against Bumrah, handling the bowler with Ben Duckett. The constant changes of strike did not let Bumrah settle. He had to keep switching his plans between Duckett and Pope, which did not allow him to settle into a rhythm. This came in sharp contrast to Bumrah's bowling against Zak Crawley, whom Bumrah was able to overhaul by bowling six straight balls in the first over of the England innings.Pope, unlike England's 2024 series against India, got in his trigger early to counter Bumrah's unique action, which allows him to hyperextend his bowling arm and bowl from ahead of the popping crease.The other part of the process was being positive, taking calculated risks against the India fast bowler, who has the ability to work you over in case you go into a shell."Me and Pope spoke a lot to really keep each other going as a partnership. I think it's about finding that balance and being positive. When you've got someone bowling as well as Bumrah is, you have to find ways to score at the other end and keep the pressure on them," Duckett had said at the start of the Test match.advertisementFormer India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar analysed Duckett's batting and argued that the England top order had shunned the idea of Bazball against Bumrah, especially in the opening overs of the match."In that (Day 5) first hour, there was absolutely no sign of 'Bazball'. They simply played old-fashioned, sensible Test cricket. Later in the session, when the run rate began to improve, it wasn't because they suddenly decided to shift gears. It was more a case of the Indian bowlers tiring on a surface that wasn't offering much," Manjrekar said after the conclusion of the first Test match.It needs to be noted that out of the 57 runs that Bumrah conceded in the second innings, 32 came off Ben Duckett. After surviving the first five overs against Bumrah, where he nearly edged him twice, Duckett got into the attack.It is probably important to point out that Duckett's ability to survive Bumrah was also down to his technique, as he played balls very, very late—something that the Bazballing English team isn't exactly known for.advertisementDuckett hit three boundaries against the star pacer, cutting and pulling him for runs in the morning session, essentially playing the pacer under his eye.Speaking on Duckett, former cricketer Deep Dasgupta argued that Duckett read Bumrah better than the rest of the players.'He reads him better. Bumrah would give you cues, but his would be very unique. Duckett picks those cues better. The way he plays, he doesn't come forward and plays from the crease. Most of his batting is based on eye-hand coordination. Not much footwork, less chance of you getting caught across the line. You get a nick or get bowled. That kind of helps—playing from the crease and on the back foot, giving him that extra time,' Deep Dasgupta said.As the Test series moves towards Birmingham, a venue where England chased down 378 runs against India in 2022, it needs to be pointed out that Bumrah has already bowled 44 overs in the opening fixture.For a bowler who is supposed to have a lesser workload and play only three matches, that is probably a bit too high—nearly 30 percent of the total overs that he bowled in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.advertisementAnd that is probably where the brilliance of Pope and Duckett lay in the 1st Test. That they were able to extract that little bit more out of the star pacer, and in turn from the Indian team.As India take a long break between the 1st and 2nd Test match, it is probably time for the Gautam Gambhir side to respect the England batters a little more for the amount of background work that they have done coming into this Test series.- EndsYou May Also Like