Virat Kohli’s 40-minute nostalgia act amid Bumrah injury scare reprises glory days, shows India what they’re missing

It was just approaching 1.20pm Jasprit Bumrah He walked to Virat Kohli for a long conversation, after which he got off the ground and crept into the Indian dressing room. This did not raise fears or raise alarms; Bowlers leaving the field for a longer period of time to change shoes is not uncommon.

But Bumrah was not out for a moment. He couldn’t be seen for 15, 20, 30, 40 minutes. Then, around two in the afternoon, he went out with the team doctor and a security officer, got into an SUV and was taken to a nearby hospital for necessary tests, information was later filtered, due to back spasms. It was a poignant moment on the day, in the test, in the series.

One man bowling attack

Bumrah is not only the best bowler in the world right now, he is also India’s captain in the final Test against Australia. There is still a series to be drawn, as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be retained. The 31-year-old started the second day of Saturday’s final Test at the SCG with 31 wickets in the series and quickly reached 32 when he took on Marnus Labuschagne within 16 minutes of the start.

India were perhaps hit hard by being described as a one-man bowling attack, with the man with 16 wickets to his name before this Test deciding to raise his hand and support his colleague. Mohammed Siraj’s efforts have often gone under the radar, but with Bumrah in his ear, Hyderabadi decided it was time to correct this anomaly. At the same time, he packed Sam Konstas and Travis Head with first-class deliveries. Australia were 39 for four, India were taking it all in, they were lively, and the crowd of over 47,000 was holding its collective breath.

All this time, while Bumrah was focusing on his bowling and bowling combination, Kohli was conducting an orchestra on the pitch, moving the tracks here, moving them there. Sometimes, he would do Bumrah’s ideas for him, but only because Bumrah let him. And when Prasidh Krishna finished off a threatening fifth-wicket attack by dismissing Steve Smith before lunch, India’s enthusiasm flared.

Then came a problem once again. How will the team react? How do the bowlers stack up? Where will the wickets come from? Who will ensure that energy levels do not drop, and shoulders do not sag?

Well, we know the answer to the last question, right?

The ice may have beaten his bat, but the fire in Kohli still burns bright. When Bumrah gave him captaincy duties and walked off the field, Kohli reacquainted himself with the smell of battle, re-engaged in his tactical skills, and relived the glory days when he was a captain and all-rounder. He spoke to his troops, individually and collectively, with a rousing talk after a drinks break in the middle session that brought out the inspiration within him.

In theory, he didn’t have much to work with, except Siraj. A fast bowler playing his first Test in a year, he is a medium-pacer who has been used sparingly. But Kohli is adept at exploiting the resources available to him, adept at pulling the strings and making his forces stand on their own. This is the stage in which he flourishes the most, where the cricketing ground is his battlefield and he is the general to whom inspiration for his troops comes naturally.

Sooraj, Prasidh and Nitish Kumar Reddy realized the importance of that moment. They may not have felt it, but the overall impression was that the Indian bowling, and indeed the Indian team, was riding on Bumrah’s back. And now, the genius wasn’t there to save them. Now, they have the opportunity to show what they can do. Alone, without the giant shadow of the Great Man looming over them.

So, Siraj did not think much about his bowling for a long time even though he was bleeding from his little finger while trying to stop the ball during his follow-up earlier in the day. So, Prasidh retrained his radar, bowled more fully and reaped the rewards. So, Nitish speeded things up, producing two brilliant short balls in succession to get rid of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Australia may have thought that with Bumrah out of action, progress on some fundamental matters was not unrealistic. They were 110 for five, and impressive debutant Beau Webster and feisty wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey were holding down the fort, when the India skipper was out. There are still 75 successors, the negotiation path remains fraught with danger, but there is no Bumrah, no talisman for the opposition.

But they did not take into account the passion and skills of Bumrah’s support staff. With the Indians emphasizing the catch, KL Rahul led the way with four impressive steals. And a surge of adrenaline for Kohli, provisional leader once again of a team that is also statistically the most successful.