Bumrah no-ball 'massive moment'

DHARAMSALA: Jasprit Bumrah and match-turning no-balls seem to be an all-too-familiar a tale. In the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Bumrah had dismissed Fakhar Zaman off a no-ball and that proved to be crucial, as Zaman scored a breathtaking century and helped Pakistan lift the title.
On Sunday, Bumrah got Upul Tharanga’s wicket off a no-ball and Tharanga made full use of the reprieve, scoring a counter-attacking 46-ball 49 to help Sri Lanka win easily.
The no-ball came at a crucial juncture as the Indian pacers were getting on top of the Lankan batsmen. Sri Lanka’s interim coach Nic Pothas felt the no-ball was a massive moment in the game and things could have been different had Tharanga been dismissed at that stage.
“I firmly believe there were two massive moments in the game. Toss was one and the no-ball to Upul Tharanga. If we would have lost another one, we are suddenly 15 for three and it would have been a hugely different situation. We’ve looked at two situations where for me they sort of defined the day,” Pothas said.
Pothas added that the Lankans were at an advantage once they won the toss. “I don’t think it was rocket science reading that pitch. It had to be said that the toss was massive in the game. Thisara Perera is my man of the match for calling it right.”
Indian captain Rohit Sharma, however, defended Bumrah and made it clear that his team lost the match because of batting. “We lost the game with the bat and not with the ball. It will be unfair to single out one individual, especially a bowler. I wouldn’t say it cost us dearly, because there was not enough total on the board,” he said.