On the fourth day of the Melbourne Test, as Australian tailenders Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland blunted the tourists’ best bowling efforts, visiting captain Rohit Sharma had a message for his side’s most influential player.
“Take the last wicket,” Rohit, speaking in Hindi, told India’s superstar fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
In footage now deleted from social media, Bumrah could be heard replying: “I don’t have any more power.”
India’s quest to hang onto the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and deprive Australia of a drought-breaking series win is set to hinge on the durability of the side’s most lethal weapon, who is heading into uncharted territory this week.
Bumrah, arguably the greatest to ever grace Australian shores, has taken 30 wickets across four Tests at the remarkable average of 12.83.
Jasprit Bumrah bowls with a distinctive straight-arm style.Credit: Getty / AP
“Bumrah to me is class, there is no doubt about it,” said former Australian pace bowler Glenn McGrath, who took 563 wickets at an average of 21.64. “He’s unique. He has an action you wouldn’t teach a young guy, but he’s found a way to adapt it and he’s just absolutely incredible.”
Without Bumrah, India wouldn’t be in the contest. They have squeezed everything they can out of their inspirational quick, who is the only bowler in Test history with more than 200 wickets at an average under 20.
The fifth Test in Sydney, starting Friday, provides a fresh challenge for him as he has never before played five successive Tests in a series.
Bumrah and his Indian teammates did not train at the SCG on Wednesday, instead opting for rest.
SCG staff were spotted putting up a black tarpaulin near the outdoor nets so Indian fans could not catch a glimpse of their heroes during a training session on Thursday.
Australia, India and England are the only countries who take part in five-Test series, which prove to be a huge physical challenge for fast bowlers in particular.
Having a dominant bowler such as Bumrah at a captain’s disposal is a luxury but can also be a curse in some ways. There is always the risk of over-bowling them when wickets become scarce.
“He’s been their most influential player and he’s made it difficult for us at times,” said Australian skipper Pat Cummins. “He poses the biggest threat.”
Bumrah has bowled more overs (141.2) than any bowler from both teams. In the 2018-19 series in Australia, a four-match series, Bumrah sent down 157.1 overs for a return of 21 wickets at 17.
Across the first three Tests in that series, Bumrah took figures of 6-115 (Adelaide), 5-92 (Perth) and 9-86 (Melbourne) before losing effectiveness in Sydney, taking 1-64.
He was outstanding in Melbourne last week, taking 9-156, but the number of overs he sent down will be somewhat of a concern given there are only three rest days between the MCG and SCG fixtures.
From 44 Tests, Bumrah has never bowled more than the 53.2 overs he produced in Melbourne. In a perfect world, he’d love a week off to recharge.
Jasprit Bumrah after taking the wicket of Mitch Marsh. Credit: AP
Instead, he could be bowling on Friday morning, trying to keep the tourists in a series in which they have been outclassed across the board since Australia’s dismal showing in Perth.
“Bumrah is still going to create a threat no matter where he enters the game,” Cummins said. “In Sydney he’ll be a threat again, so we’re going to have to be able to combat that.”
Bumrah has played in the fifth Test of a series on three occasions but has never got through five in a row.
If Bumrah can be close to his best in Sydney, India will be in a favourable position to break Australian hearts once again, as they did at the Gabba four years ago.
“I guess they’re managing him. His stats are just unbelievable,” McGrath said.
“He’s been a massive part of the Indian team and the summer. Without him, this series might be a little bit more one-sided. He’s very special.”
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