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Jasprit Bumrah during the net session. (Pic credit: Sahil Malhotra/TimesofIndia.com)

TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: Right from the moment he stepped into the nets area of the Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Jasprit Bumrah meant business. Soon after covering the little walk, he picked up a ball and the trademark shoulder click – right goes up and left goes down as he walks – he was standing on top of his mark in the centre net.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Just a few gentle deliveries followed as he began warming up for what was going to be an intense spell of fast bowling. With every delivery, the pace increased and he was loose enough, the measuring tape was out to mark his run-up for a 20-minute burst at full tilt. With Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant taking a break from today’s session, Bumrah bowled to the likes of Sai Sudharsan, Ravindra Jadeja and Karun Nair in the nets.

He beat the batters with ease, tested them with accuracy and kept them on their toes with different angles – around the wicket for left-handers and using the width of the crease for the right-handers. More than the skills, it was how he looked mentally very fresh and the three-day break from bowling clearly helped the 31-year-old who was bowling with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna in tandem.

The trio, which featured in the Headingley Test, didn’t do any bowling during the team’s first practice in Birmingham on Friday but trained with a lot of purpose on the second day. Each of them bowled for around thirty minutes and then later padded up for an extended hit in the nets.Siraj worked on leaves, ducks and forward defence with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak while Bumrah kept shuffling nets for a taste of everything which was on offer. Starting from side-armers to slow bowlers to some throwdowns, Bumrah was very focussed during his long session. There was plenty of shadow practice when he waited for his turn to bat and from the horrible start in the far most net, the right-hander grew in confidence after he played a few deliveries and looked assured before ending the long day.

Business as usual continued in the other nets as Ravindra Jadeja continued to bat, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep continued to make an impression, and Kuldeep Yadav continued to work on both batting and bowling. While the door for either Akash or Arshdeep depends on Bumrah’s availability, Kuldeep is leaving no stone unturned as far as preparation is concerned.The chinaman bowls, bats and takes a lot of feedback from both the support staff and other players in the team. He doesn’t shy away from trying new angles or varying lengths and the dry weather in Birmingham could force the Indian team management to look his way for the second Test next week. Physically, he is looking as good as he has in the recent past and the bowling rhythm is very evident from the way he is bowling in the nets right from the pre-match sessions in Leeds before the series opener. He had a very gripping contest with Gill on eve of the first Test and continues to enjoy his battles with India batters in Birmingham.

It’s not just the bowling he is working on as hours have been spent honing his batting under the watchful eyes of head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. For the last 18 months, Kuldeep has been making a very serious effort to get his act sorted with the bat and he is desperate to start making meaningful contributions for the side with the bat too.After two days under the sun, the side will now have a break and will regroup for on June 30. The bowlers can put their feet up and relax, and bowling coach Morne Morkel can resume his WWE with Arshdeep and Akash Deep in the team hotel. As far as Bumrah is concerned, the suspense will continue, at least for the next 48 hours.

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday reacted to his cryptic bird post, apparently directed towards the party’s top leadership. Tharoor dismissed to talk about his reported rift with the grand old party publicly, and said that if there were issues to discuss, they would be “discussed privately”.“I am not going to get into political issues here. If there are issues to discuss, they would be discussed privately, and when the time comes, I shall do so,” he said speaking to reporters at an event in Ahmedabad.Tharoor’s growing rift with the Congress Party has come into sharper focus following his recent remarks and social media posts that appeared to challenge the party’s leadership. “Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one,” the post said.The post drew response from Congress leader Manickam Tagore, who said, without taking any names, “Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don’t need clearance to rise… But in today even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and ‘eagles’ are always hunting. Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers.”Moreover, tensions between Tharoor and Congress leadership rose after he praised PM Modi’s diplomacy during Operation Sindoor in a Hindu article, describing his “energy” and “dynamism” as assets for India’s global standing. The PMO shared the piece, fuelling speculation about Tharoor’s loyalty. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge indirectly rebuked him, suggesting his praise for PM Modi was inappropriate. “We say nation first, but some consider Modi first, country later. What can we do about that?” he asked.Tharoor, however, clarified that his remarks reflected national interest, not support for the BJP.