India vs Australia: Bumrah. Buoyancy. Belief

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22 Nov 2024, 6:23 pm

CHENNAI: At approximately 12.35 pm IST on Friday, when Usman Khawaja ran back to catch Nitish K Reddy out for 41 in The Perth Stadium, every Indian fan — whether they were watching from the stands or glued to television/mobile screens — would have let out a sigh of frustration.

Every possible nightmare scenario they would have imagined before going to sleep on the eve of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy had come true. India, led by stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah, opted to bat first on a pitch with ample grass cover and had been bowled out for 150 in less than 50 overs (49.4) on day one of the first Test in Perth. 

As many as seven batters had gotten out in single digits, including three ducks. Yashasvi Jaiswal's expected struggles came to light. Virat Kohli's forward stride caught him off-guard as the veteran was bounced out by Josh Hazlewood. Devdutt Padikkal went into a shell, getting out for a 23-ball duck. And of course, in a typical Australian way, nine of the ten wickets, except Reddy, came off catches in the cordon. So much so that, if not for a brief rescue from Rishabh Pant (37) and debutant Reddy, they would have ended with another double digit total.

As Reddy took the long walk back, many questions lingered. Did India make the right choice by picking Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana ahead of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Akash Deep? Was the decision to bat first wrong? Was this going to be the beginning of a long troublesome summer Down Under? The biggest of all, however, was what happens after Bumrah finishes his spell. 

In less than an hour, the captain, and the best all-format bowler in the world, shattered all the doubts, lifting the spirits of millions of Indian fans.

All it took was four balls for Bumrah to set the tone. Running in from over the wicket, the pacer angled in a length delivery towards debutant Nathan McSweeney which seamed away past the outside edge. Two deliveries later, the ball drifted down the leg and McSweeney tucked it away for four. Bumrah, one over six runs, zero wicket.

If the fourth delivery of his first over went down the leg quite a bit, Bumrah adjusted the line soon enough. He pitched up a little outside off-stump and the ball seamed into McSweeney hitting him on the front pad. Indians went up immediately but wasn't given out. Bumrah reviewed and soon blared three reds on the big screen. The stand-in captain had drawn first blood.

Two balls later, Bumrah caught Marnus Labuschagne on the crease, getting the outside edge with a length ball that held its line only for Kohli to drop it in the slips. Disappointed, Bumrah let out a wry smile. He knew he was in a zone. And the Australians knew it too. He beat Labuschagne's outside edge again, but with no luck. Two overs, 1/7.

His third started with a length ball that the Australian No 3 let go, but soon Bumrah found the pads again. Another loud appeal, but this time they did not review as the ball went over. On the last ball, he almost had Labuschagne with a delivery that rose off length while straightening away from the batter. Three overs, 1/7.

At this point, the pressure was piling on Usman Khawaja and Labuschagne. They were not getting any breather from Mohammed Siraj at the other end, and perhaps thought playing out Bumrah was the best idea. Their intentions might have been right, but they were up against one of the greatest pacers to have played the game. 

Bumrah cut Khawaja in half from around the wicket on the first ball of his fourth over before finding the outside edge on the fourth. Australia were two down. India believed. They were just starting to. They needed more. Taking guard was Steve Smith, who despite the poor form could be dangerous if he got going. Bumrah, however, had other ideas.

He drew Smith forward with a length delivery that came in a mile, trapping the Australian in front. Bumrah appealed with a big smile knowing what was about to happen. The finger went up and he let out a roar. And so did Kohli in the background. Smith was out for the first-ball duck only for the second time in his career. Four overs, 3/7. 

By the time Bumrah finished with his first spell of six overs with 3/9, Rana took over to remove the dangerous Travis Head. On a pitch that was offering about 0.8 degrees of seam movement according to Himanish Ganjoo (analyst who worked with the Indian team between 2022-24), the debutant had been pitching it short in the first few overs. Soon, he got the length right, and delivered a length ball with wobble seam that sharply seamed into the left-hander, clipping the top of off-stump. Australia were four down for 31 and India were back in the game. From thereon, Siraj, Rana, along with Bumrah, piled on, reducing the hosts to 67/7 at stumps.

If you were one of those fans who had switched off the television in frustration after India's innings, all you missed was one of the most brilliant spells of pace bowling from Bumrah, who once again showed why he is well above the rest in the world. With the ball in hand, and the mastery of a wizard, he not just delivered but also inspired his fellow teammates to rise to the occasion. But worry not, this is Bumrah. He will do it all over, and maybe even better than what the world witnessed on Friday, again soon enough. 

Make sure not to take your eyes off the screen until he is done.