"You play for your country; you are not going to back down for anyone" - Marco Jansen on tussle with Jasprit Bumrah

South Africa’s left-arm seamer Marco Jansen has opened up on his altercation with Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah during the Johannesburg Test. He said there are no hard feelings between him and Bumrah but added he will not take a backward step in a battle as he is playing for his country.

During the 2nd India-South Africa Test at The Wanderers, Jansen and Bumrah had a go at each other. The young Proteas seamer fired a few bouncers at his former Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate. This was followed by a verbal exchange in the middle of the pitch.

Asked about the tussle at a virtual press conference ahead of the ODI series, Jansen explained that he is passionate about the game and doesn’t mind showing some emotions. He said:

"I love this sport, I have wanted to play since I was a child. All the emotions show how much love and passion I have for the game. Obviously, I played with Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL, we are good friends but sometimes on the field, things get heated."

The lanky seamer added that the altercation happened between two charged up players in the heat of the moment and that there was nothing personal about it. He asserted:

"You play for your country, you are not going to back down for anyone and obviously, he plays the same way as well. There are no hard feelings, it just happened in the heat of the moment.”

During the Tests in England as well, Bumrah was involved in a similar fracas with James Anderson, which added an intriguing subplot to the series.

“Did not expect to do that well in the series” - Marco Jansen on Test success

21-year-old Jansen was handed his Test debut in the first match of the series against India in Centurion. Although the Proteas went down by 113 runs, the tall bowler impressed with 4 for 55 in the second innings.

The left-arm seamer was excellent in the next two Tests, claiming a total of 14 wickets and playing a key role in South Africa’s surprise triumph. Reflecting on his success, Jansen said:

"Obviously, felt good to have gotten a chance in the Test team and then to contribute to the side's cause. I did not expect to do that well in the series. Very glad that we won the series 2-1. India has not won a Test series in our conditions, glad that we could maintain that record.”

Adding that South Africa will take the momentum from the Test series into the ODIs, he concluded:

“But we are not underestimating India at all, India is one of the best teams in the world so we have to bring our A-game. We are looking to take the fight to them. We have to be as prepared as we can, a series win against India would be big.”

The three-match India-South Africa ODI series kicks off at Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday, January 19.