Jasprit Bumrah had once shared the secret of how he regularly came up with those magic balls of his. The world’s best pacer said he isn’t someone who would be sitting at home, before a tour, visualising those dream deliveries that result in those cinematic strikes of his—stumps shattered, bails flying. “You are not going to create magic moments sitting and thinking about it … The game will give you magic moments but you have to be in the present in that game and think about what I have to do,” he had told this paper.
So there he was at the top of his bowling mark with England captain Ben Stokes waiting for him to start his strutting run-up. The non-striker was Joe Root, who had just got his 37th Test hundred. This was a partnership showing potential and promise.
Just a ball before the delivery, Stokes had dismissed a Bumrah short ball outside the point boundary with disdain. Now it was that time, the one Bumrah spoke about. The time to “think what I have to do”. And he did exactly that and Lord’s got the privilege to witness one Bumrah ‘magic moment’.
FIFER for Jasprit Bumrah 🫡
His maiden five-wicket haul at Lord’s in Test cricket 👏👏
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— BCCI (@BCCI) July 11, 2025
Against Stokes, Bumrah had a variety of deliveries to choose from – yorker, bouncer, leg-cutter, off-cutter and the sharp nip-backer. He picked his favourite – the nip-backer from a good length.
Since Stokes had hit a boundary of the previous ball that was marginally short, Bumrah kept the length thereabouts. Another shortish ball and the left-hander wouldn’t see anything new. This was till it pitched. Once it touched the surface, it rocked in with blinding speed. Stokes was too late in bringing the bat down. Stumps shattered and bails flew.
Tricky three
Bumrah had mostly focused on three balls on the Lord’s pitch that had a bit of bounce. There was that one ball that would land slightly outside the off-stump, kiss the surface and take off. The second would be pitched slightly straight and further up. It would land on the seam and because of the subtle flick of those strong wrists, the ball moves slightly away. And the final ball was the Friday special – the nip-backer.
After knocking back Stokes’s off stump, he would hit Root’s middle stick in the next over. On Day 1, England’s top batter had tried his best to avoid Bumrah but it wasn’t possible on Friday.
Bumrah would get him in the same way he has done many times before. Root loves to drive and also play the front foot defence. In playing both those strokes, especially against Bumrah, he leaves a gap between bat and pad. The nip-backer is the perfect antidote for the reputed batsman. Bumrah’s ball had the swiftness and perfect length to take an edge of Root’s bat and crash onto the stumps.
ONTO THE LORD’S HONOURS BOARD! 🙌
With 11 fifers, #JaspritBumrah has now equalled Wasim Akram’s record for most 5-wicket hauls in SENA countries! 👏#ENGvIND 👉 3rd TEST, DAY 2 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar 👉 https://t.co/mg732Jcoq5 pic.twitter.com/I6fu3u3BRk
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 11, 2025
The next ball Bumrah would take his third wicket of the morning and fourth of the Test. This ball was the one that flew off the surface from a slightly wide off-stump. The new batsman Chris Woakes poked at the ball and a whisper of the bat barely touching the ball would be heard around the stumps. Ravindra Jadeja, from cover point, would come in running. “Aawaz aaya hai. (There was some sound),” he would shout. The wicket-keeper and slips cordon weren’t sure. Since Woakes had played far away from the body, Bumrah would give his very practical input: “Awaaz aaya hai toh bat ka hi hoga. (If there was sound, it has to be the bat),” he would say. Replays would show both Jadeja and Bumrah were right. Bumrah’s spell this morning went 5-1-23-3.
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India’s man of every season and situation had opened the door but India couldn’t barge in. As was the case with on the first day, Akash Deep would hit the spot he regularly touched at Birmingham. He wasn’t full enough to put the doubt in batman’s mind. Siraj bowled well in patches but the fielders didn’t do their bit. Siraj made Jamie Smith edge a ball but KL Rahul at slips failed to hold on. Bumrah would go briefly to the dressing after his 5 over and the magic too left the field with him. This was the time the Indian would ask for a ball change, surprisingly just after 48 deliveries. The Smith-Brydon Carse partnership took England to 353/7 at lunch. At 271/7, India had a chance to restrict England under 300 but their last recognised pair had rescued them and the lower order stretched them to 387.
Post lunch, Bumrah returned. In the first two overs, he was wicketless. In the second over, he was hit for two fours. Now, again the time was ripe to strike again. Another nip-backer, another clean bowled. This was no magic ball but the moment was magical—this was the world’s greatest bowler getting his name on the Lord’s honours board.
