Two back-to-back Test defeats, that too away from home, are good enough to break down the mightiest sides in international cricket. But Virat Kohli & Co bounced back in a manner of true world-class competitors by hammering hosts England to a 203-run defeat at Trent Bridge. 

It was also the first time that India’s fast bowlers have picked up 19 wickets in a Test match, the second best performance by them in the history of Test cricket in the country. Part of this unit was comeback man Jasprit Bumrah whose seven-wicket haul, including a five-fer in the second innings, pegged back the English resistance. 

A finger injury had kept him out of action for the first two Tests, but a return to fitness and the the trust shown in him by the team management paid off under overcast English skies. “I had a good one month off, so I trained well according to the schedule from my trainers; and I religiously followed that,” he told us ahead of the tour during his announcement as an ASICS athlete. 

“It’s going to be at least eight months of cricket ahead of us and I need to be fit for that,” he added.

“During off seasons, the sessions are different, they consist of strength training, power training so it’s a mix of everything to ensure we as sportsmen are in shape for a longer period,” he said about his time away from international cricket.

Training for the matches though is a completely different ball game, according to the Gujarat pacer. 

“Generally, when we are back from a game, we do a lot of training according to the schedule shared by our trainers. So, we always try to tick all the boxes, be it running, be it strength, be it bowling because everything is important while playing cricket. We try to maintain our strength levels too in order to have a good endurance.”

India is a difficult place for fast bowlers, and for fast bowlers to be successful you need to have a good control, good clarity and good fitness that’s a must which I feel a bowler should work towards.

“Evolving your game is very important in a sport that we play. For better on ground performance, I need to ensure that I have the right kind of shoes that enables me to be more agile and athletic. I have always found that in ASICS gears, they have an extensive range of cricketing shoes offering the best grip, movement,” he said about his association with the brand. 

Present on the occasion was also his limited overs bowling twin Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has also been sidelined by injury for the Test matches in England. 

“This is an ideal association and I am absolutely thrilled about representing one of the leading brands in the world,” he said. “As an athlete and a fast bowler, shoes are very important part of our lives, and ASICS is one brand that I completely trust and believe in, given the best in class technology that it offers.”