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India’s BGT loss was marred by Bumrah’s brilliance overshadowed by batting failures and questionable selections.
NEW DELHI: India’s loss in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) was a tough defeat, especially considering Jasprit Bumrah’s outstanding performance. He took 32 wickets in the series, the most by an Indian bowler in Australia. Bumrah was widely praised, with Australian great Adam Gilchrist saying, “It is just a different ball game, a different planet, that Bumrah is playing on compared to everyone else.”
However, Bumrah’s efforts were overshadowed by India’s inconsistent batting and some questionable team selections. The Indian top order averaged just 24.67, far below Australia’s 28.79. India managed only two centuries and six fifties, while Australia scored four centuries and eight fifties.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was India’s most consistent batter, scoring 391 runs at an average of 43.44. However, the rest of the top order failed to support him. KL Rahul and Nitish Kumar Reddy showed some promise, but both were inconsistent. Rishabh Pant offered a glimpse of his old self in his final innings. Rohit Sharma, averaging just 6.20 across five innings, was left out of the Sydney Test, while Virat Kohli struggled with eight dismissals to catches behind the stumps, contributing to India’s batting woes.
India’s selections in Sydney were also criticized, particularly the decision to play two spinners and a pace-bowling allrounder on a green pitch. The absence of a specialist third seamer, along with the inclusion of Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, raised eyebrows. Bumrah expressed his frustration, saying, “Disappointing to miss out on the spiciest wicket of the series,” after being sidelined for that match. He also mentioned feeling discomfort during his second spell in the first innings, which hampered his performance.
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Despite the defeat, Bumrah remained hopeful. “We were in the game today as well, not like we were out of it, this is how Test cricket goes,” he said. He emphasized the importance of staying in the contest and adapting to challenging situations. Gautam Gambhir supported Bumrah’s views, adding, “It’s a little frustrating, but sometimes you have to respect your body, you can’t fight your body.”
India’s loss in this series was marked by Bumrah’s brilliance but overshadowed by batting failures and controversial team decisions. However, the lessons learned from this tour are likely to help India improve in future challenges.
