Pace mainstay says bowling unit in transition, Siraj's 'fighter spirit' appreciated
BRISBANE: India's vice-captain and fast-bowling ace Jasprit Bumrah has dispelled notions that a lack of support from the rest of the bowling lineup has hurt India on this tour and increased his own workload, saying that "it's my job to help the others" and that the team is in a state of "transition".
After becoming only the second Indian fast bowler after Kapil Dev to take 50 wickets in Australia, Bumrah, whose 6/76 off 28 overs helped restrict a rampaging Australia's first-innings total to 445, said when asked about the issue, "If I come across a problem, I look at how I can solve it, what I can do in this scenario rather than whining or complaining or pointing fingers.
"The Indian top order has floundered again. It's worrying that the batters have displayed a uniform lack of discipline in their approach. Test cricket is hard and none, barring KL Rahul, have shown the will to grit it out. Thanks to rain, the Test can still be saved. But it cannot happen unless our millionaire cricketers from the world's richest board apply themselves to the task.-TimesView"
"I've been happy with the way the ball is coming out. We don't as a team point fingers at each other. We don't want to get into the situation where we are saying, 'You should do this, you should do that'. As a team, we're going through a transition where new players are coming here. It's not the easiest place to play cricket. As a bowling unit, we're in transition and it's my job to help the others. Everyone will learn through it, get better and eventually find different ways. This is the journey you'll have to go through," he said.
Bumrah has been head and shoulders above the rest of India's pace lineup on this tour and is currently the leading wicket-taker across both teams, with 18 wickets from five innings at an average of 11.72 and strike rate of 27.33. Mitchell Starc, with 13 scalps, is a distant second, while the next best Indian pacer is Mohammed Siraj with 11 wickets (strike-rate 41.54).
Siraj has been copping a lot of flak from the Aussie media following his bust-up with Travis Head in Adelaide and the crowds have taken to booing him whenever he is in action. Siraj also looked flat in Australia's first innings here, but Bumrah said the pacer was nursing a niggle and is in a good place mentally.
"We had conversations before we came to Australia," Bumrah said of Siraj. "When we came here in Perth, as well as the last Test, he looked in good spirits. He was bowling well and has picked up a few wickets."
Siraj, however, has seemed frazzled with all the negative attention and even had a brain fade when he swapped bails after a delivery to Labuschagne. "In this game, I think I'll give him credit because he had a bit of a niggle but still kept on bowling. He knew if he didn't, the team would be under pressure. He's got a fighter spirit the team loves. You wanted to play Test cricket, you are doing that. Your family is proud of you. He's in a very good space, that is what I know of. I don't know what else is happening," Bumrah said.
Bumrah himself has been nonpareil on this tour, and his stature as a once-in-generation fast-bowling phenomenon is growing by the day. At the Gabba, after creating some early inroads, he came back with the second new ball to take three wickets in 12 balls, drawing batters forward but not bowling driveable lengths, enabling him to find the edges with regularity.
After bagging his 12th five-wicket haul in just his 43rd Test on Day 2, on Monday Bumrah added to his tally by getting Starc caught behind. "It has been good so far," he said. "I find different challenges interesting. Perth was different to Adelaide, and here (in Brisbane) the wicket is at a level and the run-up is low (at a lower level). In India, we're used to straight, level grounds, so it's different. I enjoy these challenges. I always look to find answers."
