"Boomball Was The Show-Stealer In IND vs ENG 2nd Test" - Ashwin Hails Bumrah For "Himalayan Feat"

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Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was full of praise for teammate Jasprit Bumrah, adding that "Boomball" stole the show in the second Test against England and labelled the pacer topping ICC rankings across three formats as a "Himalayan feat".

Bumrah played a key role in India's series-levelling 106-run win in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, where he claimed six wickets (6/45) in the first innings and followed it up with a three-wicket haul in the second innings for match figures of 9 for 91.

His performance saw him jump to number one in the Test rankings list, becoming the first Indian pacer to achieve the feat. Bumrah has also held the top spot in the ODI and T20 rankings previously.

"The real show stealer was BoomBall. Jasprit Bumrah has bowled extraordinarily," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel after India bounced back in Vizag Test.

"He is the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets and also the No.1 ranked Test bowler. The first India fast bowler to achieve number one across all formats. I am a big fan of his and this is a Himalayan feat."

Ashwin also said that the extraordinary vibe and energy on the fourth day of the second Test helped India secure a favourable result in Visakhapatnam.

"We came into the fourth day with it all being even-stevens. But our extraordinary vibe, energy and team performance helped us level the series 1-1," Ashwin added.

The five-match series, which started in Hyderabad and then moved to Visakhapatnam. will be played across Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala. and Ashwin noted that not playing in metro cities as very rare.

"There's never been a marquee Test series like this in five such venues before. In 2017, we played Australia in Dharamasala and Ranchi and then Pune and Bengaluru," Ashwin recalled the last five-match Test series at home.

"Usually, if there is a 4-5 match Test series at least one or two happen in metro cities. Unlike that, this time it's happening in venues that weren't part of World Cup matches."

The veteran spinner, who reached close to 500 wickets in the Vizag Test, also added that the hosting of these Test at home, don't give the hosts any advantage as most Indian players have not played Test cricket at these venues.

"For most of the Indian players, these venues are new. There are a lot of players playing in our team who haven't played a first-class or Test match in Vizag stadium," Ashwin said.

"I'm not sure that is possible in any other country. But possible in India as there are so many Test venues. So the home familiarity goes missing in these cases. Of course, they would have played IPL, T20 or ODI but in red ball, the familiarity surely makes a difference."

India will next face England in the third Test of the five-match series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot from Thursday (February 15).

(With inputs from Agencies)