Team India may have lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3, but Jasprit Bumrah’s performances throughout the series were one of the side’s big positives. The fast bowler was named Player of the Series for his fiery spells, although missing the final day of the Test match due to injury will likely sting him for a while.
On what he called the “spiciest” pitch of the series, Bumrah was forced off the field after suffering a back spasm on Day 2. His absence in the second innings left India without their premier pacer as they attempted to defend a 162-run target, which Australia chased down with six wickets remaining.
Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain, shed light on Bumrah’s impact throughout the series, sharing a revealing conversation with star batter Steve Smith. Smith, known for his meticulous technique against fast bowlers, admitted that Bumrah was “harder to pick” than most bowlers worldwide, noting that the Indian pacer doesn’t give batters the luxury of settling into their innings.
“I had a chance to talk to Aussies on what makes it so difficult. I’ve been seeing him for a long time, I captained him in IPL when he first came into the scene as a 17-year-old. I talked to Steve Smith, who has a good method of working fast bowlers out. He said that he finds Bumrah’s visual cues a bit hard to pick up than the most, and that it can take take you four, five, or six balls,” Ponting told 7Cricket.
“Sometimes, you could be out by then. If you didn’t get things right by that stage when you’re facing Bumrah on a challenging surface, your game could be over pretty quickly.”
Bumrah ended the Test series with 32 wickets to his name, the highest by an Indian pacer in a series Down Under.
Bumrah to return in Champions Trophy?
The true extent of Bumrah’s injury is unknown, and it is likely that the Indian pacer will remain away from action throughout January. India host England for three ODIs and as many T20Is this month, and Bumrah is likely to skip the bilateral series.
It remains to be seen whether Bumrah will be fit in time to take part in the Champions Trophy, which takes place next month. While Pakistan will host the tournament, India will play all of their matches in Dubai.
