NEW DELHI: Hampered by a back spasm, Jasprit Bumrah must have been itching to take the field and rattle the Australian batters. He sat visibly frustrated in the dugout as Australia chased down 162 runs on a challenging pitch at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.
When Beau Webster stepped down the track and struck Washington Sundar for a boundary, sealing Australia’s six-wicket victory, Bumrah quietly rose and returned to the dressing room. Australia needed just 27 overs to reach the target, fully capitalising on Bumrah’s absence.
The series loss dashed India’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, while Australia secured their spot. Having reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2015, Australia will defend their WTC title against South Africa this June at Lord’s.
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Would Bumrah’s presence have made a difference against a modest target of 162 runs?
Former India cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Balwinder Sandhu believes so, asserting that India would have won if Bumrah had been even slightly fit.
“Definitely. Bumrah is a wicket-taking bowler. Even though it was a small target, Bumrah has that ability — he could have taken India to a win. Australia would have found it very difficult if he was there. The match result might have turned in our favour if he had played,” Sandhu said.
Sandhu also recalled a moment from legendary Kapil’s career when he bowled India to a memorable victory against Australia in 1981 despite being injured.
“This match reminded me of the one when Kapil had a niggle and a hamstring issue against Australia (MCG Test in 1981). Karsan (Ghavri) had bowled Greg Chappell with a superb delivery the day before. Kapil didn’t take the field that day, but he showed incredible courage by coming out the very next day and claiming all the remaining Australian wickets to lead us to victory.
“Australia needed 140-something [143] runs in that match, and Kapil did the job for us. He tore apart the Australian batting lineup. It was brilliant bowling by him. So, it’s very important to have such a key player in your team in critical situations. That’s where India missed Bumrah. Bumrah is that kind of bowler,” Sandhu explained.
“If Bumrah was even 1 percent fit, he would have definitely bowled. I could see it on his face when he was in the dugout. He’s a typical khadoos cricketer, and he can get under any batter’s skin. I’m sure he must have been in significant pain; otherwise, he would have come out to bowl. But the Australians would have had a tough time if he was there. We could have won the match,” he added.
Sandhu, who played 8 Tests and 22 ODIs for India between 1982 and 1984, also criticised India’s star batters captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their lacklustre show during the series in Australia.
Rohit ended the series with just 31 runs from five innings and was dropped for the fifth and final Test.
Kohli wrapped up the series with just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. His scores read: 5, 100* (Perth), 7, 11 (Adelaide), 3 (Brisbane), 36, 5 (Melbourne), and 17, 6 (Sydney).
“There were a lot of expectations from these two senior players – Rohit and Virat. Because they have played in these conditions a lot of times and know everything how to play in Australia, it was a disappointing performance by them,” he said.
“Their 50 percent contribution would have been enough to take India to win. I agree about inexperienced players who were getting out cheaply but I don’t understand why it happened with the experienced players. We could have done better if Virat and Rohit would have performed. Everyone needed to lift their game up. You are playing for India,” Sandhu signed off.
