IND vs AUS: 'From Dire Straits to Dominance', How Captain Jasprit Bumrah Walked the Talk and Engineered a Comeback for the Ages

Add as a preferred source on Google

IND vs AUS: The art of captaincy is often judged by how a leader navigates the hurdles and Jasprit Bumrah, in his understated yet impactful style, braved the challenges and made a telling impact as a captain in Rohit Sharma's absence.

In a Test match where India was bowled out for a paltry 150 in the first innings, the majority of the cricket fraternity thought that the Indian ship would sink but that wasn't the case. Bumrah didn't just lead the team, he galvanized a depleted side against a formidable Australian team.

His leadership and individual brilliance became the highlight of one of India’s most improbable wins. Let's not forget that the visitors were coming off a humiliating 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home. The Aussies welcomed the down-spirited team with the Perth Test - a venue that probably is the quickest Test venue in the world.

Jasprit Bumrah pulls off captaincy masterclass to better effect

For the record, the backdrop of this match could not have been more daunting for the Ahmedabad-born cricketer as the team went into the game without key players like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami.

It was quite a challenging pitch for both teams. It was a tacky surface early on that offered inconsistent bounce and lateral movement. At the toss, when Ravi Shastri questioned Bumrah about choosing to bat on a lively pitch, Bumrah said they played a Test match here in 2018 and hence they know what to expect in the first place.

When India’s batters faltered in the first innings, Jasprit Bumrah rose to the occasion and stepped up in extraordinary fashion, picking up five wickets, courtesy of his subtle bowling variations of line and length. His impactful bowling spell demoralized the hosts, which tilted the momentum irrevocably in India’s favour.

Moreover, he has been quite proactive in terms of decision making and the bowling changes were spot on. The interim captain couldn't be any happier upon guiding the team to a scintillating 295-run win as the tourists take the first lead in the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy series.

Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged the Player of the Match for his top-tier bowling spell in the first and second innings. He picked up five wickets in the first innings and followed it up with three more in the second. The Pink-ball Test will get underway on December 6 at Adelaide Oval.