Jasprit Bumrah was left 'frustrated' after not being able to bowl on one of the 'spiciest wickets of the series' at the Sydney Cricket Ground due to his back spasm.
Bumrah, the Indian team's linchpin, had a series to remember as he took 32 wickets across nine innings to end the series as the leading wicket taker by a healthy margin. Bumrah's 32 scalps puts him on level with Harbhajan Singh for most wickets in an India vs Australia Test series and on parity with Kapil Dev for most wickets by a seamer in a Test series.
He missed bowling on Day 3 of the SCG Test due to a back spasm, for which he also visited a private hospital on Day 2 for scans. Bumrah has opened up on his disappointment of not bowling on Day 3 when India needed him for a chance to win the match.
"It's a little frustrating, but sometimes you've got to respect your body, you can't fight your body. It's a little disappointing in the end because I probably missed out on the spiciest wicket of the series, but that's the way it is. Sometimes, you have to accept it and move forward," Bumrah said after Australia's six-wicket win at the presentation ceremony.
"The chat was about belief, the other bowlers stepped up in the first innings. With one bowler short, the others had to take extra responsibility. This morning, the chat was about having belief, and that we are good enough and if we create enough pressure, we will be able to do some damage," he added.
Bumrah knew that the team was in the game even today but the nerves played a big part in deciding those moments. "So, a lot of ifs and buts, because the whole series was well fought, and today as well we were in game; it was not like it was totally one-sided," Bumrah, who was adjudged as the Player of the series, said. "This is how Test cricket goes; in the nervy moments, whichever team holds their nerve for the longest and sticks together and tries to find a way out of that will win the series."
He reflected on the series, saying that there are a lot of learnings for the youngsters. "I think it was a well-fought series, lot of learnings for us and experience that our players have gained who've come here for the first time. Being in the game for longer, creating pressure, sometimes absorbing pressure when wickets are difficult, sometimes playing to the situation," the stand-in skipper said.
"They've gained a lot of experience; they'll only go from strength to strength from here. Australia is not the easiest place to play cricket, but we've shown we have a lot of talent in our group, it's all about adapting and learning new things about your game. I'm sure a lot of youngsters are keen, obviously, they are disappointed we weren't able to win the series, but they want to take the learning forward," Bumrah added.
