Jasprit Bumrah‘s fitness became a topic of discussion during Australia’s first innings in the pink-ball Test when he required medical attention. Former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming has expressed concerns about the fitness of Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, following his performance in the second Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Adelaide Oval.
After the Adelaide horror, Team India is all set to face Australia in the upcoming Test match. They will try hard to bounce back from the massive defeat. Before the next Test, the Indian side was seen sweating hard in the nets, but Jasprit Bumrah’s absence sparked attention.
Jasprit Bumrah misses practice session in Adelaide after the match
In the Adelaide Test, Team India faced a huge setback. The Australian side defeated them by 10 wickets, and apart from this, Jasprit Bumrah’s on-field discomfort in his thigh grabbed the attention. In the middle of his over, the bowler was seen in cramps and the physio team attended him on the field. Later, he continued bowling in the match. Jasprit Bumrah missed the practice session and was seen on the sidelines.
Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness became a topic of discussion during Australia’s first innings in the pink-ball Test when he required medical attention. Although he returned to bowl a few overs and opened the attack in the second innings, his pace was noticeably down. Typically clocking speeds in the high 140 km/h range, Bumrah was bowling in the early 130 km/h range, fueling speculation about his physical condition.
The Indian cricket team had an intensive net session in Adelaide on Tuesday after their 10-wicket defeat in the pink-ball Test earlier in the week. The five-match series is level at 1-1 after India’s commanding 295-run win in the opening match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
On Tuesday, the bowling unit consisted the likes of Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, Yash Dayal and the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar trained hard in the nets, while there were a few throwdown specialists as well. The key Indian pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj along with seam-bowling allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy looked to have a lean day.
India lost the second Test match to Australia by 10 wickets. This after India had demolished Australia in the first Test match by 295 runs with the services of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Jasprit Bumrah was the difference between the two sides as he bowled the Australians out for just 104 runs in the match’s first innings.
Before the third Test match of the series, Team India is hustling hard on the nets. On Tuesday, Jasprit Bumrah skipped the practice session along with Mohammed Siraj. After sustaining a cramp in the last match, Bumrah’s absence in the practice session sparked concerns, and now, former Australian bowler Damien Fleming shared his thoughts on the Indian speedster’s absence.
Former Australia Pacer Damien Fleming Points Out Major Concern For Jasprit Bumrah ahead of 3rd test
Former Australia pacer Damien Fleming suspects Jasprit Bumrah may be dealing with something worse than just a cramp after he pulled up during the second Border-Gavaskar series Test at the Adelaide Oval. The Indian speedster needed assistance from the medical staff while bowling his 20th over in the first innings.
Jasprit Bumrah was up and running after a while, and proceeded to bowl three more overs in the innings as Australia were bowled out for 337. The second time around, he opened the attack with the pink ball, but bowled only one over since the hosts polished off the 18-run target in just 3.2 overs.
However, his solitary over spoke volumes. Despite resting in the dressing room during India’s turn with the bat, the pacer was not bowling full throttle, and his bowling speed for the over were clocked in the early 130 kmph mark, way down from his usual average with the new ball.
Fleming feels that Bumrah may be dealing with an injury, and noted his absence in training for India after the third Test.
“There’s got to be some serious doubts. Siraj might be workload [related] but I’m bemused Bumrah bowled that over. They could have hid this. They showed their hand,” Fleming said on SEN Radio after the second Test (via the Dyney Morning Herald).
“There’s no way that’s cramp. He was very ginger after the break in the first innings. He bowled again, not quite as slow second innings. I don’t even know why he bowled that over [in the second innings]. That actually gave some secrets away to everyone,” he added.
There was initially only a small gap between the second and the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. However, with the clash in Adelaide ending in just over two days, and the fact that Jasprit Bumrah hardly had to bowl in the second innings, gives him ample time to recover. Team India skipper Rohit Sharma had asserted that Jasprit Bumrah was likely to play all five Tests in the series, and as a result, needed the other bowlers to step up to help with the workload and impact.
Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury
Jasprit Bumrah has bowled 54 overs across two Tests so far, and came on the back of a heavy home season too, where he played four out of five possible red-ball games.
Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel had assured that the spearhead was dealing with a bout of cramps, instead of a concerning injury.
“Firstly with Bumrah, he’s fine, it was just this cramp. Yeah, even because after that, you know, he bowled and you got the wickets twice,” said Morkel in the post-match press conference (via India Today).
After Australia snatched the Adelaide Test with a 10-wicket win, the series became 1-1. In the pink ball Test, Team India collapsed in both the batting and bowling departments. After missing the first Test, Rohit Sharma joined the team in the second Test match. But the Indian captain struggled in both innings. After hitting a century in the Perth Test, Kohli also struggled in the Adelaide Test.
After that defeat, the upcoming matches become crucial for Team India. as the World Test Championship final is coming close, Team India need to win all the remaining matches to secure their place. As the third Test match is set to commence soon, the visitors are aiming a strong win to take the lead of the series.
The third Test between India and Australia is scheduled to begin on Saturday, December 14, onwards at The Gabba in Brisbane. The series is currently level at 1-1.