Southampton: Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah said the Indian quicks were looking to bowl "Test match lengths" on The Rose Bowl wicket against South Africa in their World Cup opener on Wednesday.
Bumrah, rated as one of the best in the business, was on the money from the word go, removing both openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock cheaply. Yuzvendra Chahal then spun a web around the middler-order as the Proteas could muster 227/9 in 50 overs after opting to bat first.
"We wanted to bowl hard lengths with the new ball, Test match lengths and early wickets are always helpful for the team and we are happy we were able to do it," Bumrah said at the innings break.
"When there is seam movement you don't need to try too much. Just bowl good hard lengths and wait for the batsman to make mistakes," he said of the conditions.
Asked about India's opening match being so late into the tournament when all others teams have begun their campaign, Bumrah said: "We wanted to tick all boxes before our first match. Maybe the wicket has flattened out. Hopefully we will chase it down."