January 6, 2025

Bumrah Regrets Missing Out on Bowling on the ‘Spiciest Wicket of the Series’

India’s stand-in skipper and star bowler of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah, expressed his disappointment over missing the opportunity to bowl in the recently concluded Sydney Test. India suffered a six-wicket defeat in the match, relinquishing the coveted trophy for the first time in a decade. Bumrah, who had to leave the field on the second day due to a back spasm, was unable to bowl for the remainder of the game. While the rest of the Indian attack managed to dismiss Australia in the first innings without Bumrah’s services, his absence was deeply felt in the second innings as the visitors struggled to contain the hosts.

“It’s a little frustrating, but sometimes you’ve got to respect your body, you can’t fight your body. It’s a little disappointing in the end because I probably missed out on the spiciest wicket of the series, but that’s the way it is. Sometimes, you have to accept it and move forward,” Bumrah said at the presentation ceremony.

After India lost their remaining four wickets within the first hour of Day 3, they were left defending a modest target of just 162 runs, made all the more challenging without their bowling talisman, Jasprit Bumrah. Speaking about the situation, Bumrah shared how the team discussed belief and taking on extra responsibility during the innings break, emphasizing the need for every player to step up in the face of adversity.

“The chat was about belief, the other bowlers stepped up in the first innings. With one bowler short, the others had to take extra responsibility. This morning, the chat was about having belief, and that we are good enough and if we create enough pressure, we will be able to do some damage,” he said.

India got off to a shaky start with the ball but managed to claw their way back, thanks to a spirited effort from Prasidh Krishna. The pacer dismissed Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith before the lunch break, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope, albeit a faint one. However, Travis Head and Beau Webster steadied the ship for Australia in the second session, guiding the hosts to a comfortable victory and sealing the series. Reflecting on the outcome, Bumrah described it as a hard-fought contest, praising the competitive spirit of both teams throughout the series.

“So, a lot of ifs and buts, because the whole series was well fought, and today as well we were in game; it was not like it was totally one sided,” Bumrah said. “This is how Test cricket goes; in the nervy moments, whichever team holds their nerve for the longest and sticks together and tries to find a way out of that will win the series.

“I think it was a well-fought series, lot of learnings for us and experience that our players have gained who’ve come here for the first time. Being in the game for longer, creating pressure, sometimes absorbing pressure when wickets are difficult, sometimes playing to the situation,” he added, before emphasising on taking away learnings from the long and draining tour.

“Sometimes all these learnings are important. Young players come up and they score runs, have success through a certain way, but in Test cricket you have to sometimes adapt to the situation, make your game work in a different manner as well. These learnings will help us in the future.

“They’ve gained a lot of experience; they’ll only go from strength to strength from here. Australia is not the easiest place to play cricket, but we’ve shown we have a lot of talent in our group, it’s all about adapting and learning new things about your game. I’m sure lot of youngsters are keen, obviously they are disappointed we weren’t able to win the series, but they want to take the learning forward,” Bumrah opined.

Jasprit Bumrah concluded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in sensational fashion, having bowled 151.2 overs across the five Tests and claiming 32 wickets at an extraordinary average of 13.06. Notably, he also captained India to their sole victory in the series, a memorable triumph in Perth. India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, lauded the 31-year-old for his “phenomenal series,” praising his remarkable contributions with both the ball and as a leader.

“I think he’s led the attack really well. He bowled a lot of overs. And whenever he’s come on to bowl, he’s done a fabulous job. He’s taken wickets. He’s done everything possible he could from his side. But then he’s been helped a lot from the other end as well.

“He’s been helped by Mohammed Siraj. He’s been helped by some of the young boys as well, like Harshit Rana in the first two Test matches, Akash Deep… Ultimately, yes, you will always see the wickets and runs. But yeah, there has been a lot of other contributions as well. But from Jasprit Bumrah’s point of view, he had a phenomenal series,” Gambhir said.

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