'Couldn't get Bumrah out, so tried to injure him; targeted his fingers and shoulder'

LONDON: The third Test between India and England at the iconic Lord's proved to be a nail-biting contest. India narrowly missed out on a win, losing the match by just 22 runs in the final session of play on the last day. England emerged victorious after a spirited last-wicket stand between Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja ultimately fell short for India.

Chasing a target of 193 runs, India was on the verge of defeat at lunch with the scoreboard reading 112 for 8. However, to everyone’s surprise, the fightback from Jasprit Bumrah at the ninth wicket and Siraj at the tenth, alongside Jadeja, gave India a glimmer of hope. Bumrah and Jadeja held on for 22 overs, while Siraj and Jadeja resisted for another 13.2 overs.

Now, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has come forward with his reaction to the match. Speaking through his YouTube channel, Kaif revealed a strategy employed by England captain Ben Stokes and pace bowler Jofra Archer after realising that taking the final two wickets wasn’t going to be easy.

Kaif alleged that the plan was to keep bowling bouncers at Bumrah with the intent of injuring his fingers or shoulder, especially if they couldn’t get him out. According to Kaif, the English team believed that if Bumrah got injured, India’s main bowler would miss the fourth Test in Manchester. Ultimately, a bouncer did lead to Bumrah’s dismissal, which Kaif said indicated that England's strategy had succeeded.