England series gave me confidence to bowl outswingers: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah showed that he is one of the potent bowlers in the world currently when he took 5/7 in eight overs to help India bowl West Indies out for 100 to give India a 318-run victory at North Sound. Bumrah took his fourth five-wicket haul and it has come in four different countries on his first visit and West Indies were undone by his swing and accuracy. Bumrah's spell was notable for the fact that he bowled a lot more outswingers as compared to the inswinger which is his key point. Speaking after the end of the match, Bumrah added that the England series gave him plenty of confidence and that the camaraderie within the fast bowling unit is tremendous.

"I used to bowl the inswinger earlier, but the more Test matches I've played, I've gotten more confident to bowl the outswinger, especially since England. I am feeling very good. As a bowling unit, we came with attacking options. Me and Ishant (Sharma) were trying to use the (width of) crease too, to generate the swing. A lot of hardwork goes into my delivery," Bumrah said. 

Hanuma Vihari, who slammed 93 in the second innings, played a vital part in India stretching their lead beyond 400. Vihari, though, has revealed that he is working on his bowling and that he wants to be a viable fifth bowling option and that he is taking Ravindra Jadeja's help. 

"It is very important that my off-spin keeps developing not only for myself but also for the team. I fit into the team because of the combination that I can be the fifth bowler. (I feel) fortunate enough to get help from one of the best spinners in Indian cricket history. It's nice sharing the dressing room with him and talking to him about off-spin bowling," Vihari said. 

Apart from Bumrah, Ajinkya Rahane had a fabulous match after enduring a prolonged period of struggle. In the first innings, he steadied India with 81 after the top order was blown away while in the second innings, he scored a century for the first time since 2017 and Rahane's personal coach Pravin Amre thanked the team management for backing Rahane.

"It was really his hard work because the past two years hasn't been easy for him (Rahane). I will give him the credit for the way he handled himself. He was never frustrated and worked hard. Even if you see the last six months, how he handled himself. He went to England, played with the Duke ball (in county cricket). One week he was in Bengaluru (at the National Cricket Academy). So he has done what was in his hands. That was very important," Amre said. 

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HIGHLIGHTS

• Jasprit Bumrah took his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests.
• India beat West Indies by 318 runs in Antigua.
• Ajinkya Rahane scored 81 and 102 in the Antigua Test.