The backstory, as India faced Australia at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, was a column written by Greg Chappell. By then, Travis Head had once again become India’s nemesis, and he was the only batsman in the Australian team to neutralise Jasprit Bumrah.
“Head’s performances against Jasprit Bumrah in this series exemplify his fearless approach,” Chappell, the former Australia captain whose stint as India coach was pretty eventful, wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“While most batsmen struggle to survive Bumrah’s unorthodox action, sharp pace, and relentless accuracy, Head has treated him like any other bowler,” Chappell observed.
It’s not known if someone had laid down the paper on Bumrah’s breakfast table. But the response from the fast bowler was emphatic. Head came to the MCG with a couple of centuries under his belt. But he perished for a seven-ball duck in the first innings.
What did Bumrah do? He bowled a delivery on good length and the line was teasing enough to induce the leave from the batsman. Head shouldered arms and was castled. It was a special ball from a very, very special bowler.
In the second innings also, Bumrah got the better of Head, as he returned with another five-for. The Australian finished the series with 448 runs at an average of 56.00. Bumrah, on the other hand, ended up with 32 wickets from nine innings at an average 13.06, carrying India on his back until his back gave up.
Bumrah versus Head is one of the great modern-day cricket rivalries. In nine Tests, the southpaw was dismissed by the Indian quick six times. In white-ball cricket, they haven’t played much against each other – just four ODIs and two T20Is. But irrespective of the formats, the match-up offers an exciting subplot. It will be no different when Mumbai Indians host Sunrisers Hyderabad at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
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Maybe, MI captain Hardik Pandya will have to change the template. Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar have been his go-to options with the new ball, while Bumrah came in as the first-change in the last two games. But SRH boast the tournament’s most explosive opening pair in Head and Abhishek Sharma, and from the opponents’ point of view it’s imperative to get rid of them early. Else, even a total of 245 might not be safe, as Punjab Kings would attest.
Against the marauders, will Pandya turn to his best? Bumrah has returned to competitive cricket after a longish injury lay-off. He is in the process of getting into the groove. But Bumrah, even at 80-85 per cent, is better than the rest.
Head and Sharma are bold. Bumrah is a genius. The contest could be mouth-watering.
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