Jasprit Bumrah proved why he is the best on the planet

Jasprit Bumrah’s spell on the fifth afternoon at The Oval won India the Test match, put them in charge of the series and proved why he is the best fast bowler in the world.

He’s just fantastic, there’s no element of his game that isn’t quite as strong as the rest.

England couldn’t deal with him. He knocked Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow over with beauties.

He continues to impress in all formats, too, which is what stands him apart. He can build long spells, but also bowl with intensity, accuracy, pace and discipline.

In that sense, he reminds me of Dale Steyn, who announced his retirement last week.

Steyn, for me, is the greatest fast bowler of all time, largely because he did it in all conditions. His statistics in the subcontinent are unbelievable for a quick bowler.

Bumrah might never hit the heights of Steyn, but his ability to tear through an opposition in any part of the world sets him apart.

India are by far the better side in this series

In all departments, India are a quality side.

They’ve got excellent, talented players, but are also hard-working and play with such intensity that they are very difficult to stop when they are at their best.

India are a much better side than England, that’s for sure.

Led by Virat Kohli, they love playing and performing on the biggest stage. It seems that the more intense the match is, the more likely they are to step up and take it away from the opposition. That is a culture that Kohli is responsible for.

Their strength in depth is incredible, too. As I’ve written before, the IPL is an academy for cricket like no other in the world.

This team is becoming one of the best we’ve seen in the Test match format. If they can get the job done at Old Trafford then they will have beaten Australia and England away in the last 12 years – a historic achievement.

They are a much better side than England, that’s for sure.

Same old story for England

It’s difficult to know what more to say about this England side. The batting, in particular, is about the worst that it’s ever been, and they have failed to win either of their two summer series for the first time in 20 years.

This has not happened overnight. Unfortunately, you cannot expect these guys to deliver when the system is so flawed.

It goes back to the summer of 2015 when the ECB thought that they should be clever-clogs and completely marginalise red-ball cricket.

It’s been coming, and we’re now seeing the results. It’s going to take a long time to undo the damage.

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