The game is in the balance, reckons pacer Bumrah

TIL Desk Sports/ Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has insisted that the second Test hangs in the balance despite South Africa taking a 118-run lead in the second innings with eight wickets in hand.

“The game is still in balance if we get early wickets tomorrow. The match can be in anybody’s favour. We will look to create pressure tomorrow as well. I think the game is still in balance right now,” said Bumrah after stumps on day three. Bumrah bowled a sensational first spell and removed both Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla cheaply. But the hosts recovered thanks to a fine AB de Villiers half-century.

“We wanted to keep things simple and build pressure as a unit. We wanted to build pressure from both ends, thinking if we dry up their runs they will have to make some opportunities.”So we were just focusing on creating pressure. That was helping us and that was our basic game,” said Bumrah. De Villiers led his team’s revival from two for three in the sixth over with an unbeaten 50 off 78 balls.