Harbhajan Singh: India Would Have Suffered a 5-0 Defeat in BGT Without Bumrah

New Delhi, Jan 6: Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has expressed that had star pacer Jasprit Bumrah not competed in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India would likely have faced a 5-0 series defeat instead of the 3-1 loss against Australia. Over the course of 45 exhilarating days of cricket, Bumrah emerged as a key player, challenging the World Test Championship champions and consistently troubling Australian batsmen throughout the five matches.

Bumrah stood out among his peers, making history by breaking multiple records. He played a pivotal role in India’s remarkable 295-run victory in the series opener in Perth. His exceptional performance continued in subsequent matches, culminating in him becoming the leading wicket-taker of the series.

For his outstanding efforts, Bumrah was named Player of the Series despite India’s defeat. His performance was celebrated worldwide, with even Travis Head acknowledging it as the best “individual performance” he had witnessed since beginning his career in the format.

Harbhajan commended Bumrah, stating that if this “national treasure” hadn’t been part of the squad, India would have likely lost the BGT series by 5-0 or 4-0 to Australia.

“Without Jasprit Bumrah on this tour, the series would have concluded 5-0. He saved India in Perth. After the Adelaide match, he continued to safeguard India’s chances in the remaining games. Without him, India could have been defeated by 5-0 or 4-0,” Harbhajan Singh remarked on his YouTube channel.

Bumrah finished the five-match BGT series with an impressive tally of 32 wickets, marking him as India’s highest wicket-taker in a Test series against Australia on their home turf.

He achieved this feat with an astonishing average of 12.64, which included three five-wicket hauls, with his best figures being 6 for 76. In doing so, he surpassed Bishan Singh Bedi’s previous record of 31 wickets from the 1977-78 tour of Australia. (Agencies)