NEW DELHI: The hearts of hundreds of thousands, glued to television screens, stopped for a moment when visuals showed India’s talisman, Jasprit Bumrah, in a black SUV heading for scans on Saturday.
While his return to the ground after completing the necessary scans was met with optimism, it remains uncertain whether Bumrah, believed to be carrying a back spasm, is fit enough to play a role as the series approaches its conclusion.
Beyond Bumrah’s awe-inspiring performances, his workload has drawn significant attention from cricket observers. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, there hasn’t been a single day where Bumrah hasn’t made an impact, whether with the bat or ball.
With 860 deliveries and 31 wickets in just five Tests of the series, Bumrah has been instrumental to India’s success in this series.
However, having put in his relentless efforts and overs bowled, he doesn’t rank among the top two most efficient workhorses of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
To be more precise, Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have both bowled more deliveries and spent more time at the crease while batting than Jasprit Bumrah in this BGT.
If we dive deep into the numbers, Cummins has scored 159 runs off 251 balls so far, while Starc has amassed 97 runs from 247 balls. In comparison, Bumrah has contributed 42 runs off 87 balls.
With the ball, Starc and Cummins have bowled 153.2 (920 balls) and 163 (978 balls) overs, respectively, with Bumrah completing 151.2 overs (908 balls) so far in this BGT.
Though, Bumrah has been the most lethal with 31 scalps, followed by Cummins’s 23 wickets and Starc’s 18 thus far.
With a back spasm understood to have forced Bumrah’s scans, it remains unclear whether he will take the field tomorrow as India ended the day at 141/6, holding a lead of 145 runs.
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