IND vs AUS: GOAT Jasprit Bumrah booms again in Boxing Day speed burst

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It is scary to think what this Indian Test team will be minus Jasprit Bumrah. Smashed around the MCG stands with utter disdain by debutant Sam Konstas in the fourth Test of the BGT Series on Thursday, the Indian vice-captain did not lose heart.

There was a bit of anxiety as well for the world's best fast bowler when his left calf muscle had to be attended to in very hot conditions. Never mind, Bumrah is made of steel. He showed that same steely resolve to hit back at a venue where the holiday crowd had enjoyed the day's proceedings.

If Konstas was on turbo-charge mode and attempted shots that were not in the Test manual, he did raise eyebrows on his debut. Nobody uses the ramp, hammers Bumrah. The fast bowler did not mind it.

The best part was unlike Virat Kohli who behaved like that typical West Delhi-born bully, who 'shoulder-butted' Konstas and earned a 20 percent match fine, Bumrah was patient. The smile did not go from his face all day. Bumrah's bowling analysis had been disturbed, how to respond?

With a desperate Indian captain Rohit Sharma shuffling the pack of bowlers, the fightback happened. Again, it had to be Bumrah in motion. One has to understand the mindset of a fast bowler. When they get hammered for runs, they feel hurt. Bumrah has no ego nor does he start losing the plot. It is a mental game, how to come back and keep pulling the trigger.

Sure enough, when he returned, the BOOM magic was back. To claim three wickets was defining. He first got rid of Usman Khawaja. Then came the masterpiece, a Picasso at work, when Bumrah pitched the red cheery at a perfect length to Travis Head. The man who has been a thorn in the flesh was beaten.

He had no clue, as the ball clipped the off stump. It was a beautiful sight. Bumrah did not exult, nor did he emote in an ugly way. He smiled, and that was it. It's his patent, the smile, even if the batter is left shattered. This dismissal will leave Travis with a headache, how did he lose his off stump?

For his part, Akash Deep, too, made his presence felt with the second new ball when he took a wicket. Finally, the third wicket for Bumrah, this time, baiting Mitch Marsh. He nibbled, and the catch was consumed by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.

All of a sudden, the script changed, for Bumrah had staged a comeback. No, not for himself but for India. One can well ask what's new. Yes, he showed that going for runs early, even being whacked for six by a new kid was not going to ruffle him. A cerebral bowler like Bumrah had to keep at it.

As he returned to the pavilion, Bumrah's bowling analysis for the day read 21-7-75-3. Tireless effort, to keep going like this is mind-blowing. How he does it, only he knows. It's scary to think what the Indian team will be without him one day. Forget the wickets, forget the records he sets.

It's a bit like Kapil Dev Imran Khan or Wasim Akram in the old days. They haunted batsmen, now batters. Each time a wicket was needed, they would get the breakthrough. Bumrah is a shock bowler and has also been forced to become a stock bowler. He is 31, pushing the envelope. How long, God knows. Minus Bumrah, this Indian Test attack will be rendered impotent.