Virat Kohli took up the leadership responsibilities as India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah left the field with a niggle on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the SCG in Sydney. The extent or the nature of Bumrah’s injury remains uncertain, but Hindustan Times has confirmed that the World’s No.1 fast bowler has left the ground with the Indian team doctor for scans.
In Frame: Jasprit Bumrah
Visuals aired on Star Sports showed Bumrah, wearing the training kit, leaving the ground in a car and being taken to the nearby city hospital.
Bumrah left the field for the first time on Saturday at the stroke of Lunch and then came back after the break to bowl one over. But he left the field again. Substitute fielder Abhimanyu Easwaran replaced him in the field.
Before leaving the field, Bumrah was seen having a quick chat with Kohli, possibly informing him about the discomfort he was facing while bowling. Kohli then took over the captaincy duties.
Bumrah’s importance in this series
Bumrah’s injury could turn out to be a massive factor in the outcome of this Test and the series. He is not only India’s best strike bowler but also the captain for this Test in regular skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence, who decided to step aside for the series decider due to poor form with the bat.
Earlier in the day, Bumrah gave India a dream start by dismissing overnight batter Marnus Labuschagne early on Day 2 with a delivery that shaped away after pitched around the off stump.
That was Bumrah’s 32nd wicket of this Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking him to the top of the wicket-takers list among Indian bowlers in Australia. He broke the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi’s long-standing record. The former left-arm spinner had taken 31 wickets in the 1977-78 season.
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