Nottingham, August 9: India batsman KL Rahul said pacer Jasprit Bumrah has proved himself time and again and his performance in the first Test against England isn't a "comeback".
Bumrah had failed to pick a wicket in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in June. But the right-arm pacer picked nine wickets in the first Test against England.
"I don't know why you are saying that Bumrah has made a comeback," said Rahul in the press conference when asked about Bumrah's good show. "Every time, in every game, in every condition he has proved himself and he is our number one bowler. We are happy that he is doing what he is (has) been doing since he started playing Test cricket.
"Wherever he has played, he has been a match-winner for us. We are happy that he has done once again, what he does best," Rahul added.
The first Test between England and India ended in a draw after Day five of the match was abandoned due to rain on Sunday. Indian bowlers were right on top of England during the first Test and Rahul said the bowling unit knows what is exactly expected from them.
"Sometimes the bowlers can get carried away when a lot is happening off the pitch and it says a lot about our bowling unit. There is a lot of experience in our bowling and they understand what exactly is expected of each one of them," said Rahul. The Test series now moves to the Lord's for the second match which gets underway from Thursday.
India skipper Virat Kohli, meanwhile, expressed disappointment after the first Test against England ended in a draw as Day five of the match was abandoned due to rain on Sunday.
It was the first match of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 cycle. The start of day five got delayed twice after an early Lunch and Test was taken as rain played a spoilt sport.
"We were expecting rain on day 3 and 4, and it chooses to arrive on day 5 when we were looking to have a good crack at the target," said Kohli in a post-match presentation.
"We wanted to start strong, and heading into day five we felt we had the chance right in front of the ball. We certainly felt we were right on top, and it's a shame we couldn't complete day five," he added.
India needed just 157 runs to win the first Test on day five but no play was possible due to rain. The visitors scored 52 runs after bundling out England in the third session on Saturday.
Kohli said the game on the final day wasn't about survival as India wanted to go for the win on Sunday. "We got to 50 overnight, a real positive for us. It wasn't just about survival, it was about getting the boundaries when we got the chance," said Kohli.
Praising bowlers for their stint at the crease, Kohli said, "It's the hard work of three-odd weeks (the lower-order batting). They were in the nets regularly, and we got a lead of 95 purely from their efforts.
"I think they did a tremendous job with the bat. Most likely it will be a template going ahead [4-1 combination], but we've always been adaptable as well, to the conditions and pace of the wicket. It's going to be an exciting series to be a part of, as India-England always is," he added.