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India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah single handedly carried the burden of India's bowling attack on Day 2 of the third Test against Australia at Gabba on December 15. India's over-dependence on Bumrah was clearly evident on the second day which witnessed a flurry of runs and wickets, with the 31-year-old pacer emerging as the star performer picking five wickets for 60 runs in 19 overs. In stark contrast, the remaining Indian bowlers struggled to contain the Australian batters, collectively conceding 305 runs in 87.4 overs while managing to take only two wickets. Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Ravindra Jadeja combined to average a staggering 152.5 runs per wicket, a truly alarming statistic.
Morne Morkel on Ravindra Jadeja's rough outing in Brisbane Test
All eyes were on Ravindra Jadeja, who made it to India's playing XI in the third Test after missing the first two. Jadeja bowled a total of 16 overs in which remained wicketless throughout the day and also conceded runs (76) at an economy of 4.75. Australia rode on centurion knocks from Steve Smith (101) and Travis Head (152) to post 405/7 on the board.
After the end of Day 2's play, India's bowling coach Morne Morkel, during the press conference, was asked about Jadeja's rough outing to which he said:
“Jaddu, coming into this match didn’t have a lot of game time, but he is also a guy who has taken a lot of Test wickets. We wanted to bring in the left-arm option, he is also a guy, who can offer us a lot with the bat. Unfortunately, today wasn’t his day. He is a world-class player and he will work it out.”
“Akash (Deep) did well, bowled his heart out, same for (Mohammed) Siraj, he cramped early on in the day, so for him to still run in today and bowl, was great. (Jasprit) Bumrah is the number one bowler in the world and you need somebody to back him up but honestly, I can’t fault the effort of the other seamers,” Morkel added.
Travis Head continued his dominant form against India, slamming his second century of the series. His 152-run knock, laced with 18 fours was coupled with Steve Smith's 32nd Test ton put Australia on driving seat in the crucial match. With Head and Smith in full flow, Australia amassed a formidable total of 405 for seven at stumps. Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc remained unbeaten on 45 and 7, respectively. While Jasprit Bumrah managed to claim five wickets, Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Reddy picked up one wicket each.
