Sir Richard Hadlee

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar drew a striking comparison between Jasprit Bumrah and the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee, praising the Indian pacer’s rare ability to manufacture wickets even on the flattest of pitches. “We’ve seen four hundreds in the match so far — three from India and one from England — but which bowler has been truly special? For me, it’s just Bumrah,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar. “Just the ability to manufacture a wicket every time he came into the attack is what stands out.” Drawing a lofty yet fitting parallel, Manjrekar added: “The one bowler that comes to mind, someone with that kind of impact single-handedly, is Sir Richard Hadlee. He played for a New Zealand team with a relatively weaker attack, but every time he came on, you felt a wicket was around the corner. The common thread between the two is mastery — when I watched Hadlee from close quarters, he felt like a true master of his trade. I get that same impression with Bumrah.” ENG vs IND, 1st Test Day 3 Updates Manjrekar was particularly impressed by Bumrah’s spell late in the day against Ollie Pope, whose unbeaten 116 guided England to 209 for 3 at stumps on Day 2. India, earlier in the day, had posted 471 in 113 overs — powered by Shubman Gill’s career-best 147 and Rishabh Pant’s brilliant 134. England looked under pressure early on, especially against Bumrah, who finished with 3 for 45. “With Ollie Pope’s hundred for me, it was also Bumrah in the final over. Just look at this guy — the kind of wicket he picked on a pitch like this,” Manjrekar said. “We saw during the 2023 Cricket World Cup how he put himself in a different league from the rest of the fast bowlers, and here he is doing it again. The dismissal came with such nonchalance, and that’s something only Bumrah can manufacture. Ben Stokes does it for England to some degree, but this guy does it consistently.” While Pope flourished after a cautious start—notching up his ninth Test century with 13 boundaries—Bumrah provided the breakthrough, getting Duckett to chop one onto his stumps after the pair had added 122 for the second wicket. Pope had an early reprieve on 60 when he edged Bumrah in the final session, but the Indian quick continued to probe with relentless precision. Just before the close of play, Bumrah nearly struck again. He had Harry Brook top-edging a pull to mid-wicket, only for replays to show he had overstepped — his third no-ball of the over. The delivery, however, underscored Bumrah’s deceptive craft. “In that final over, with Harry Brook trying to survive, what happened was pure drama,” Manjrekar reflected. “We witnessed the genius of Bumrah when he got him to pull a short ball he hadn’t used at all throughout the innings. The setup was brilliant — delivery after delivery outside the off stump — and then came that surprise bouncer. Nowhere in the corner of his mind would Harry Brook have expected it. It came, and he instinctively played the shot.” Published By: Saurabh Kumar Published On: Jun 22, 2025 Tune In