The whole of India and the Indian fans and diaspora around the world breathed a sigh of relief as Jasprit Bumrah returned to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) while walking up the stairs without any discomfort on the second day of the fifth and final Test on Saturday, January 4. It was a worrying couple of hours for the Indian team and the whole country as Bumrah went alongside the support staff to the hospital with an ambulance accompanying them.
There was no confirmation as to what really had happened but the broadcaster Star Sports mentioned that the scans might probably have been for his back, the issue he had gotten stitched up with surgery in 2023. Prasidh Krishna at the end of the day's play confirmed that it was a back spasm to Bumrah and that the medical team was monitoring him and will give an update.
The whole montage of Bumrah leaving the ground, sitting in the car in the parking was mysterious and a bit worrying and WWE-ish as everything seemed to be hush-hush until the Australian broadcasters revealed it. But now that he is back, hopefully, everything is good back in there.
Bumrah didn't return in the second session and had changed into his training gear. India still had to get the rest of the half of the Australian wickets having gotten four in the morning session. The stand-in captain Virat Kohli had to get Nitish Reddy and Prasidh Krishna into work and both responded with a couple of wickets each. Mohammed Siraj ended the frustration for India as Australia lost five wickets for 80 runs in the second session.
India led by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant came out with positive intent and the latter went into overdrive with a 29-ball fifty. The lead is 145 for India at the stumps on the second day and with uncertainty over Bumrah, they will lead something over 200 to send shivers down Australia's spine.
