Centurion: India couldn't have hoped for a
worst start to a long South African sojourn but pacer Jasprit
Bumrah today asserted that if one debacle dents the team's
confidence then it "does not deserve" to be play Test cricket.
South Africa outplayed India by 72 runs inside four days
in the opening Test in Cape Town to claim a 1-0 lead in the
three-match series. The second Test is scheduled to start here
on Saturday.
"Confidence is not dented after one match. If it happens,
then you don't deserve to play. Learn from the mistake you
made and go forward. There is not a single cricketer who has
not made a mistake," asserted Bumrah, who took four wickets in
the match.
"It was a first good Test and a good learning experience
for me because I have never played over here in South Africa.
So I had a lot of things to learn from it. Now it is time to
move forward and focus on the second Test," Bumrah said on
Thursday.
Bumrah said he would rather pick the positives, including
getting A B de Villiers as his first Test wicket.
"It was not a dream debut. I was happy with whatever I
learnt from that match. As a bowler you look to get the first
wicket early and I got AB de Villiers.
"It was a happy moment, and from there on, we took a lot
more wickets. As a bowler, my motto is not to get too excited
and not to get too down after every match. I want to take
confidence in to the next match," he added.
Bumrah had a mixed first outing at Newlands. He was taken
for runs in the first innings at a time when India needed to
keep South Africa quiet, but roared back to form in the second
innings and triggered the hosts' 8-65 collapse on day four.
He outlined the differentiation in his performance was
down to understanding the nature of the pitches here.
"It's always challenging whenever you come to a new
country. The wickets are different and the weather is
different. So it's always good to face new challenges. As you
play more and more, you get to know a lot about the wickets.
"You get a fair idea about where to bowl and what kind of
lines to bowl. It's been good so far. I am still learning and
hopefully in the further matches, I will be able to do
better," said Bumrah.
Bumrah said he prefers to not have any notions about the
surfaces he bowls on. he also acknowledged that Indian bowlers
erred in reading the bounce in the South African first
innings, which yielded 286 runs for the hosts.
"We realized what mistakes we made in the first innings,
so (on day four) we were trying to create pressure from both
ends and focus on our lengths which were wrong in the first
innings.
"We just tried to correct them and not overdo things
because over here when there is help from the wicket, you try
to do extra but that won't help. So we were just trying to be
disciplined and stick to basics," he said.
When asked about the moment he was made aware of his Test
debut, Bumrah said, "There was a general discussion that I
would play the match. So I started talking to our bowling
coach what kind of things I should do, what kind of wickets
are over here and what should I expect."
The Gujarat pacer said he was not nervous when his debut
cap was handed to him.
"It's not like I was playing a first First-Class game in
my life. I have played a lot of four-day games. So my basic
plan was to go inside, get a feel of the wicket and make
changes accordingly."
Bumrah has spent a lot of time with bowling coach Bharat
Arun even in the junior days and he highlighted the inputs he
has received.
"He has seen me since the time I walked in as an Under-19
boy at the NCA where he was the coach. He knows me and gives
me good advice. He knows my bowling and as a player it is good
to have a coach who knows my strengths and weakness," he said.
The second Test begins at Supersport Park on Saturday.
Smarting from their loss, the Indian team held a full-fledged
practice session here on Thursday, lasting just under four
hours.
PTI
