Former Australian pacer Damien Fleming was surprised by India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah‘s fiery reaction to Sam Konstas during the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, noting that Bumrah’s aggression energized his team and contributed to Usman Khawaja’s dismissal before stumps on Day 1.
The incident unfolded when Bumrah responded sharply to Konstas, who intervened after Bumrah objected to Khawaja’s slow approach during the last over of the day. The Indian pacer, who was named Player of the Series, was visibly angry during the exchange.
Fleming acknowledged Bumrah’s deserving win of the Player of the Series title for his remarkable 32 wickets, although he mentioned Travis Head, who scored 448 runs, as another strong contender.
Fleming stated in his column for ‘The Roar’:
“I’ve never seen Bumrah react like that. So he sparked something in the Indians that not a lot of people have. And when he batted he didn’t look like he was fazed from all the chat from the Indians.”
“Bumrah deserved to be player of the series with 32 wickets, but there’s an argument to say that Travis Head won this trophy,” he added.
https://x.com/div_yumm/status/1875077346258231764?s=46
“They lacked that third seamer” – Damien Fleming on where India fell short against Australia in the BGT 2024-25
Damien Fleming highlighted that India’s absence of a third specialist pacer, like Mohammed Shami, cost them the five-match series. However, he praised Mohammed Siraj, who took 20 wickets in his five appearances. In the same column, he wrote:
“Bumrah is an absolute star, probably the greatest touring fast bowler that I’ve seen. Mohammed Siraj probably showed that he’s a handy back-up bowler. But they need that third seamer – they really missed Mohammed Shami.”
The comments followed doubts about Siraj’s consistency in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as he failed to take five wickets, except in the series opener in Perth.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
