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Before the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) had begun, Simon Doull made a statement that has turned prophetic. “They are trying to cook Bumrah” by scheduling the series “smartly”, the former New Zealand pacer had said.
As it turned out, by the time the series reached what proved to be its penultimate day, Bumrah walked out of the park and then was seen being taken for scans by India’s medical team. He returned, but didn’t bowl for the rest of the fifth Test in Sydney, and the home team walked to a six-wicket win after an initial stutter on day three.
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The Aussies clinched the series 3-1, reclaimed the Border Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years and confirmed a place in the World Test Championship final against South Africa in London this June.
To recap Doull’s words, he said on a JioCinema show: “What Australia have done smartly is scheduling, They know that while batters are going to be key in some shape or form, their biggest threat is Jasprit Bumrah.”
Before the back spasm ended Bumrah’s BGT on Saturday, he had taken 32 wickets at a staggering average of 13.06 and strike rate of 28.37, including three five-wicket spells. His wickets tally is a new record for an Indian bowler in a single Test series away from home, going past spin legend Bishan Singh Bedi’s mark of 31 wickets.
He also equalled Harbhajan Singh’s mark of 32 for most wickets by a bowler in a BGT series.
Coming back to Australia’s “cook Bumrah” plan, Doull had explained what he meant by ‘smart scheduling’, saying that by picking Perth and Brisbane as the venues for the first and third Test, with a pink-ball match in Adelaide sandwiched, the Australians were hoping Bumrah’s workload increases by bowling “a lot of overs”.
It took a little longer than Australia would have hoped, after Bumrah showed signs of increased workload when he needed medical attention briefly on the second day of the Adelaide Test, but recovered from the scare at that time.
“They have gone with the three hardest and fastest surfaces, plus the pink-ball Test. They are trying to cook Bumrah,” Doull had said. They will cook him in the heat of Perth, where he will have to bowl a lot of overs. Then he is going to have to go and bowl a lot of overs in that second pink-ball Test match in Adelaide. And then you’ve got to go to Brisbane where generally, first up, the seamers are quite good as well.
“So they’re going to cook Bumrah in the first 2-3 Test matches, make sure he bowls a lot of overs, and then they (India) are going to have to make a change. They’re going to have to go to someone else. So I think the scheduling from Australia’s point of view has been quite smart because very rarely do they start a series in Perth,” the New Zealander had said.
(ANI Photo)
BGT 2024-25 Result: Australia win five-Test series 3-1
1st Test, Perth: India won by 295 runs
2nd Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 10 wickets
3rd Test, Brisbane: Draw
4th Test, Melbourne: Australia won by 184 runs
5th Test, Sydney: Australia won by 6 wickets
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