India vs Australia 2019: Jasprit Bumrah has shown once again that he is a magician with the ball in hand
Throughout the evolution of Indian cricket, it has been the batting unit that has been rock solid and trustworthy enough to win matches. The batsmen have given the whole nation innumerable moments to cherish in the future.
On the contrary, the bowling has followed a sine curve in their performance. India have had some greats like Kapil Dev, Jagaval Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh etc. who have done the job as and when required, but the whole unit has rarely been up to the mark.
The scenario has changed now. Today, the Indian bowling can defend any total and even restrict the opposition to a low score, and hence make the job easier for the batting unit.
In this context, the name Jasprit Bumrah demands special attention. In just three years of his career, Bumrah has become an integral part of Team India and led the bowling attack from the front.
There was a time when, if MS Dhoni was at the crease, every Indian fan had hope that India could still win the game - irrespective of the situation. The same feeling now holds true with the name of Bumrah. If he is bowling at one end, then there is very much a possibility to win the game - no matter what the required run rate is.
Bumrah not only gives you an advantage in death bowling, but also in some crunch situations during the middle. He can give you wickets with the new ball, in the middle overs and with the old ball; he is a master on all fronts.
Even before this Australian tour of India, Bumrah had given us innumerable examples of his mettle.
But just speaking about this current tour, Bumrah had done his job in the first T20 against Australia where, in his quota of 4 overs, he just gave 16 runs and took 3 wickets. Most importantly, when the match was in Australia's favor, he took 2 wickets and gave away just 2 runs at the death, almost winning the match for India.
Now, talking about the second ODI that took place yesterday, Bumrah yet again showed why he is the No. 1 bowler in the world. At a stage where Australia had enough grip over the match and India were defending a below par score of 250, Bumrah in his 8th over ensnared 2 wickets again, at a cost of a single run.
And in his penultimate over he gave away just one run and swung the match in India's favor - from a position where India was nowhere in the match.
This match reminded me of the 2nd T20 which India played against England back in 2017. Same venue, same climax, same script, and it will again be remembered for one person's heroics - Jasprit Bumrah.