How Jasprit Bumrah Carried Team India On His Back Until He Could Carry No More

Jasprit Bumrah was the only consistent performer for Team India in BGT [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

They say cricket is a team game, but Jasprit Bumrah might beg to differ after this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Imagine one man charging in, bowling his heart out, tearing through batting line-ups, while the rest of the team is busy hitting the self-destruct button.

Jasprit Bumrah Was the Lone Flame in India’s Border-Gavaskar Burnout

Bumrah was a one-man army. He gave everything: pace, accuracy, even his health. But in the end, it wasn’t enough as Aussies walked away with a 3-1 series win. And Bumrah’s efforts? Well, they were nothing short of legendary but painfully let down by the rest of the squad.

The pace maestro was India’s lone silver lining in an otherwise cloudy campaign, but his herculean efforts weren’t enough to stop Australia from taking the series and reclaiming the trophy after almost a decade.

Bumrah gave it his all, and then some. But, as they say, one man doesn’t make a team. Unfortunately for him, his teammates didn’t bring their A-game, leaving the star bowler to wage a battle he couldn’t win alone.

Bumrah Shines, Team Stumbles

If there was one bright spark for India, it was Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance with the ball. He kicked-off the series with a bang in Perth, leading from the front as stand-in skipper and delivering a match-winning nine-wicket haul. His exceptional spells left Australia’s batters hopping around like cats on a hot tin roof.

The seasoned speedster carried that momentum throughout the series, snagging 32 wickets at a mind-boggling average of 13.06, the most by an Indian bowler in a Test series Down Under.

Bumrah was in a league of his own. Even Adam Gilchrist couldn’t help but heap praise, calling him a bowler 'from another planet.'

But cricket isn’t a one-man show, and despite Bumrah’s heroics, the cracks in India’s armour were too deep to cover. The batters, except a few exceptions, failed miserably to hold up their end of the bargain, and the tactical errors only added salt to the wounds.

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India’s Batting Woes

India’s batting lineup was as fragile as a house of cards. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only batter who looked like he belonged, scoring 391 runs at an average of 43.44. KL Rahul and Nitish Kumar Reddy had their moments, but those were few and far between.

Then there were the big guns Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who misfired spectacularly. Rohit, expected to anchor the innings, averaged a dismal 6.20 before sitting out the final Test. Kohli, the once-dominant king of Australian pitches, fell to the same old trick time and again, edging behind in eight out of nine innings.

India’s lower order didn’t fare any better. Positions 9 to 11 averaged a measly 9.64 compared to Australia’s 15. While it might not seem like much, those runs could’ve been the difference between fighting for a win and folding like a deck of cards.

Tactical Blunders Galore

If the batting was bad, the decision-making was worse. Playing two spinners on a green SCG pitch was a head-scratcher. Neither was effective, and with Bumrah sidelined due to back spasms, India found themselves a pacer short.

The musical chairs in the batting order didn’t help either. Rohit’s move to the middle order backfired, and when he returned to open, he struggled again. The lack of clarity and consistency cost India dearly, leaving Bumrah to shoulder an unfair share of the burden.

Australia Pounces On India’s Errors

Australia wasn’t flawless, but they played smarter cricket. Their batters weren’t exactly setting the world on fire. But the difference was in the big moments. They scored four centuries and eight fifties, while India managed only two tons and six half-centuries.

Their bowlers, led by Scott Boland’s 10-wicket haul in the final Test, were clinical. They didn’t give India an inch, forcing errors and capitalizing on every slip-up. Australia didn’t outplay India, they outlasted them.

Bumrah Deserved Better

Jasprit Bumrah played like a man on a mission. From his match-winning spell in Perth to his incredible efforts in Brisbane and Melbourne, he single-handedly fought to keep India in the series. Even with the bat, he chipped in with valuable runs when the chips were down.

By the time the Sydney Test came around, Bumrah’s body had had enough. He bowled just 10 overs before leaving the field, his back giving up after carrying the team all series. Without him, India’s chances crumbled, and Australia wrapped up the series with a six-wicket win.

Bumrah’s 32 wickets are now the most by an Indian bowler in an overseas series, surpassing Bishan Singh Bedi’s record. He also reached the 200-wicket milestone with the best-ever average at that mark: 19.56. But records don’t win matches, and Bumrah’s brilliance deserved so much more than a 3-1 defeat.

India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign will be remembered as much for Bumrah’s heroics as for the team’s shortcomings. If India wants to bounce back, they’ll need to learn from this series and build a team that can match Bumrah’s heart, skill, and sheer determination. Because players like him come once in a generation, and they deserve a team that can keep up.

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