Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah said on Monday (January 15) that captain Virat Kohli and his men were left unhappy by frequent interruptions due to rain and bad light in the final session of Day 3 of the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Centurion.
After India conceded a first innings lead of 28, Bumrah gave the visitors the best possible start with the new ball as he removed Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla for meagre scores.
South Africa were reeling at 3 for 2 before AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar steadied the ship and took them to 90/2 at close of play.
"We were carrying a good momentum so we wanted to carry on. It is okay we never get too disappointed because there is still lot of play left in the match. So we don't get too disheartened that this didn't happen. We wanted to carry on but things didn't work out so it's okay," Bumrah told the media after the third day's play in Centurion.
He added: "The ball was swinging a little bit so the field being wet, both sides of the ball got wet so the ball doesn't swing anymore. We were just having a word with the umpire that the ball is wet so the ball won't swing anymore so we were having a chat about what could be done in that situation.
"It was not too frustrating, you are happy that the spell was going well so you are in good rhythm so you can come back tomorrow and do well again. It's okay. We wanted to carry on and we were doing as we were told to do."
Indian bowlers, especially off-spinner R Ashwin and Bumrah, were consistently creating troubles for the two batsmen as the conditions aided reverse swing and plenty of turn.
However, much to the disappointment of Team India, who were looking to make further inroads, rain halted play for nearly an hour in the final session.
Despite play resuming, Kohli seemed unhappy with the wet ball as it made it difficult for Indian bowlers. The miffed Indian captain let the umpires know about the situation, but he was asked to carry on.
Play was interrupted once again due to bad light, following which the angry Indian captain stormed out of the ground and met match referee Chris Broad to express his disappointment over the playing conditions. Eventually, play was called off as the light did not improve in the final session of Day 3.
Bumrah confident of striking early on Day 4
The visitors had the opportunity to take the game away from South Africa after Bumrah had given them the early breakthroughs. However, De Villiers and Elgar saw off the new ball and even started accelerating towards the close of play.
Bumrah though believes India will be back in the game if they start Day 4 on a strong note.
"The game is still in balance if we get early wickets tomorrow. The match can be in anybody's favour. Create pressure tomorrow as well I think the game is still in balance right now," Bumrah said.
