India’s early setback of losing skipper Rohit Sharma for just 10 was steadied by KL Rahul’s gritty 84, followed by Ravindra Jadeja’s composed effort with the bat.
However, the Aussies regained control after a rain-forced Tea break, only for India’s No. 10 and 11 to dig in and see out the day’s play with a mix of caution and aggression.
With India trailing by 33 runs, Ravindra Jadeja’s dismissal in quick succession after Mohammed Siraj left Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep to face a relentless Australian attack.
In a moment of adversity, the Indian vice-captain adopted a counter-attacking approach. On the first ball of the 68th over, Bumrah smashed a back-of-a-length delivery from Pat Cummins down the leg side.
The ball sat up perfectly, allowing Bumrah to make room and pull it over the deep backward square leg region for a stunning six. Bumrah’s display seemed a playful nod to his earlier comments in the Day 3 press conference, where he joked with Revsportz journalist Shubhayan Chakraborty about “questioning his batting ability” and suggested googling the player who scored the most runs in an over in Test cricket.
Jasprit Bumrah just smashes Pat Cummins for six! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/vOwqRwBaZD
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 17, 2024
Bumrah’s ability to back his words with action on the field quickly earned him widespread praise on Twitter, with fans celebrating the Indian spearhead’s fearless strokeplay.