India's bowling unit led by Jasprit Bumrah should be equally lauded for comeback win against Australia
India pacers Jasprit Bumrah (right) and Mohammed Siraj celebrate the wicket of Australia's Pat Cummins at the MCG yesterday. Picture/AFP
There was no Ishant Sharma or Mohammed Shami. Jasprit Bumrah was only playing in his 16th Test match. Umesh Yadav limped off early in the second innings due to a calf strain. Mohammed Siraj was on debut and Ravichandran Ashwin's record in Australia was average at best. Despite all these obstacles, the Indian bowlers managed to capture 20 wickets to script a famous eight-wicket victory.
A remarkable effort
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It is a remarkable effort by a set of Indian bowling unit that performed above expectations. Bumrah, the leader of the pack, knew from the outset he had to set the tone. Halfway through the first session on the opening day, he had figures of 8-4-7-1. It was a spell that laid the foundation for domination. On the back of it, Ashwin had nipped out two wickets. For India to take 20 wickets, Bumrah and Ashwin had to shine and they did.
But it was the discipline of Siraj with the old ball that had to be marvelled. India captain Ajinkya Rahane praised Siraj after the match, stating he was extremely impressed the way the pacer stuck to plans and never got carried away or tried too hard. India's plan was simple—attack with the new ball and defend with the old one. It was the latter plan that Siraj has to be admired for. The fast bowler from Hyderabad finished the Test with figures of 36.3-8-77-5.
Credit to Ashwin
A lot of credit should also go to Ashwin. For any bowling team to succeed in Australia, it needs a bowler to hold up one side, so the others can attack. It is a task Nathan Lyon has done that admirably for the last few years, but in Melbourne, Ashwin had out-bowled the Australian off-spinner.
On his previous tours to Australia, Ashwin experimented with his fields and pace. This time around, he emulated Lyon by bowling a lot of top-spinners with a 6-3 on-side field. For the plan to work, Ashwin has had to shelve his ego and just stick to the basics. But in the second innings, when conditions demanded for a change, he adjusted his lines, changed his angles and used all his variations. It was a great example of a bowler adapting and adjusting.
Then there was the input of Ravindra Jadeja. The batsmen know what they are going to get, but he still has a knack to defeating them with his subtlety. The Melbourne Test will always be remembered for Rahane's century and captaincy, but a lot of credit should be given to the way the bowlers operated collectively.
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No Australian batsman has scored a century in the last 6 Tests against India at home
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