Sydney [Australia], January 5: “Frustrated” by his recent injury setback, India’s substitute captain, Jasprit Bumrah, lamented the opportunity to bowl on the series’ “spiciest wicket” in Sydney.
On Day 2 of the last Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah had back spasms, which dealt India a severe blow. As anticipation grew for Bumrah’s participation on Day 3, she went back to the dressing room after getting scans.
When Bumrah stepped out to bat, the crowd erupted in cheers. Everyone was watching the SCG to see whether Bumrah would be there to bowl in the second innings after India collapsed at 157.
Bumrah was not there at the team huddle, which revealed that he was not playing with the ball as India lost by six wickets after failing to defend 161.
In response to his latest setback, Bumrah acknowledged that he had to come to terms with the fact that his body was incapable of retaliating.
“It’s a bit annoying, but sometimes you have to accept your body and not fight it. You have to accept things sometimes. I wish I could have bowled on the series’ spiciest wicket. After the first innings, I was a bit uncomfortable,” Bumrah said at the post-match presentation.
India lost the series 3-1, making the 295-run triumph in Perth in the first game of the series a faint memory. India had a little window of opportunity to change the course of events, but it was impacted by its lack of capitalization.
India’s unsuccessful BGT defense, according to Bumrah, was the result of a “well-fought” series and a trip that provided many insights and experiences.
“Belief was the topic of conversation. In the first innings, the other bowlers also showed their mettle. The topic of belief was also discussed this morning. There are many ifs and buts. The whole series was fiercely contested. And we were there today. He said, “It was a well-fought series.”
“A great deal of knowledge and expertise. Many of the younger players have joined, and we will benefit from the lessons learned. They will continue to get stronger since they have a great deal of experience. It all comes down to learning and adjusting. We will wish to apply the lessons learned. Bravo to Australia; it was an amazing series. From here, we’ll reorganize and go ahead,” he said.
Jasprit Bumrah’s scorching stints more than made up for the Indian hitters’ inability to establish a rhythm over the series. With 32 scalps to his credit, he finished the series as the top wicket-taker and was named Player of the Series.