Team India pace bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah provided the first wicket for the Men in Blue in Australia’s second innings of the third Test match at the Gabba. Jasprit Bumrah struck in his second over to knock over Usman Khawaja on the final day of the match in Brisbane on Wednesday, December 18.
The Rohit Sharma-led team started the day at 252/9 with Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep at the crease. Australia removed Akash Deep, who scored 31 runs off 44 balls with two fours and one six, early in the session. However, the rain interrupted the match, delaying Australia from batting for the second time.
Watch: Jasprit Bumrah Removed Usman Khawaja for His First Wicket
The dismissal took place during the 3rd over of Australia’s second innings. Bumrah bowled a good-length delivery that angled into Usman Khawaja. The delivery went through the gap between bat and pad, clipping the back pad before hitting the top of the off-stump. Khawaja departed after scoring 8 runs.
Take a look at the video of the incident below:
Bowled!
Bumrah gets Khawaja early on #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/ewDc68KIsP
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 18, 2024
Jasprit Bumrah Breaks Kapil Dev’s Mammoth Record
Bumrah dismissed Khawaja for the fourth time in the series. The left-handed batter has scored 63 runs at a disappointing average of 12.60, with a best score of 21 runs. On the other hand, Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 20 wickets so far at an average of 10.75, with best figures of 6/76.
Jasprit Bumrah then removed Marnus Labuschagne. He surpassed Kapil Dev to become India’s leading wicket-taker in Australia. Bumrah now has 52 wickets in Australia, while Kapil took 51 from 11 Tests. He and Kapil are the only Indian bowlers with 50+ wickets in Australia, while Anil Kumble is third with 49 wickets.
Will They Bat Normally and Try to Stretch the Lead? – Kerry O’Keeffe
Former cricketer Kerry O’Keeffe said that the day’s outcome will depend on both the weather and the teams’ strategies. He questioned whether Australia would aim to build a safe lead of around 300 if an early wicket falls. O’Keeffe also pondered whether Pat Cummins might set a tempting target for India.
“Say this wicket falls quickly and the deficit is 180, what will Pat Cummins and the brainstrust of Australia do? Will they bat normally and just try and stretch the lead up to around 300 and make a token declaration?” O’Keeffe asked on Test Cricket Daily.
“Will they hasten quickly, change the batting order and look to give themselves as many overs as India? Will Pat Cummins give Rohit Sharma a sniff and say ‘chase 260 in 48 overs’? Could be enticing. Would they go for it, considering they’d want to go to Melbourne 1-1? There’s a lot to play out today,” he added.
Also read: Smriti Mandhana on the verge of becoming World No.1 white-ball batter in ICC Rankings