It was absolutely baking in Melbourne for the first day of the Boxing Day Test. 36°C and Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, toiled hard under the sun at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The forecast had initially suggested that the temperature would soar as high as 40°C, but luckily, that didn’t happen.
Jasprit Bumrah battles Australia & Melbourne heat
But it was hot enough to have an effect. Bumrah, after bowling 18 overs, went down on the ground. The whole of India was worried. The physio had arrived in the middle after the 75th over ended and was seen treating Bumrah’s left calf. He lay down as the physio tended to him and walked off the field.
Injury or cramp: What is going on with Jasprit Bumrah?
The same had happened in Adelaide, when Bumrah went down in pain. It looked like he was cramping then, and Morne Morkel, Team India’s assistant coach, had confirmed that Bumrah wasn’t injured but just cramping. Given how hot it was in Brisbane, that could be the case as well in the Boxing Day Test.
But, remember, Bumrah didn’t leave the field in Adelaide. In fact, he was in the middle of a spell back then and continued to bowl. It might be that he was just cramping. A reason why he might have been taken off was because the 80th over was approaching. With the new ball due, Rohit Sharma might have thought it best if Bumrah got some rest before having a crack at Alex Carey and Steve Smith with the brand-new ball.
It turned out it was just a slight issue. Just five overs later, when Team India took the second new ball, Bumrah bowled the first over.
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