Virat Kohli took up the leadership responsibilities as India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah left the field with a niggle on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the SCG in Sydney.
The extent or the nature of Bumrah’s injury remains uncertain, but HT can reliably confirm that the World’s No.1 fast bowler has left the ground with the Indian team doctor for scans.
Visuals aired on Star Sports showed Bumrah, wearing the training kit, leaving the ground in a car and being taken to the nearby city hospital.
Bumrah left the field for the first time on Saturday at the stroke of Lunch and then came back after the break to bowl one over. But he left the field again. Substitute fielder Abhimanyu Easwaran replaced him in the field.
Before leaving the field, Bumrah was seen having a quick chat with Kohli, possibly informing him about the discomfort he was facing while bowling. Kohli then took over the captaincy duties. He immediately sprang into action with swift bowling changes. Youngsters Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kuma Reddy stepped up with crucial breakthroughs as India bowled Australia out for 181 to take a 4-run lead.
Before leaving the field, Bumrah was seen having a quick chat with Kohli, possibly informing him about the discomfort he was facing while bowling. Kohli then took over the captaincy duties. He immediately sprang into action with swift bowling changes. Youngsters Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kuma Reddy stepped up with crucial breakthroughs as India bowled Australia out for 181 to take a 4-run lead.
Despite this, Bumrah’s injury could turn out to be a massive factor in the outcome of this Test and the series. He is not only India’s best strike bowler but also the captain for this Test in regular skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence, who decided to step aside for the series decider due to poor form with the bat. It is still not clear whether Bumrah will be able to bowl in the second innings.
At the Tea break, Star Sports anchor Mayanti Langer informed that it was, in all probability, a back injury for which Bumrah had undergone surgery a couple of years ago.
Bumrah in record books
Earlier in the day, Bumrah gave India a dream start by dismissing overnight batter Marnus Labuschagne early on Day 2 with a delivery that shaped away after pitched around the off stump.
That was Bumrah’s 32nd wicket of this Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking him to the top of the wicket-takers list among Indian bowlers in Australia. He broke the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi’s long-standing record. The former left-arm spinner had taken 31 wickets in the 1977-78 season. BS Chandrasekhar had also picked up 28 wickets in the same series
Bumrah had equalled Bedi by accounting for Usman Khawaja in what turned out to be the last ball of Day 1 after a fiery verbal battle with Sam Konstas.