Jasprit Bumrah passes previous best first-class score of 16 with 55 from 57 deliveries for India against Australia A; Australia suffer another injury scare ahead of next week's first Test with all-rounder Cameron Green withdrawn from warm-up match due to concussion
Friday 11 December 2020 13:47, UK
India's Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best bowlers in the world - but his batting is not usually so hot.
The seamer changed all that on Friday, though, as he scored the first fifty of his career while playing for his country in a pink-ball warm-up game against Australia A in Sydney.
Bumrah, who headed into the match with a first-class batting average of 7.60 and a highest score of 16 not out, struck an unbeaten 55 from 57 deliveries, including two sixes and six fours.
The 27-year-old's knock was just what India needed, with the tourists having tumbled to 123-9 after losing eight wickets for 51 runs and seven for 21 having initially raced to 72-1 in under nine overs.
Bumrah's 71-run last-wicket stand with Mohammed Siraj (22) lifted India up to 194 all out, with the former pulling Will Sutherland for six to complete his maiden fifty from 54 balls.
Once Siraj was out an over later, it was back to the day job for Bumrah and he struck with his second delivery as Australia A's Joe Burns - who was expected to open for the full Australia side in the first Test against India in Adelaide from December 17 - snicked behind to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
The dismissal made it back-to-back ducks for Burns and just 61 runs in eight innings this season, form which will worry the Australia selectors as they decide on their XI for the first Test.
Bumrah later backed up Burns' wicket with that of Jack Wildermuth for 12 as Australia were skittled for 108 to trail by 86 on first innings - Mohammed Shami and Navdeep Saini taking three wickets apiece and Siraj with one.
Australia A were missing Cameron Green with the all-rounder - who had been hotly tipped to make his Test debut next week - withdrawn from the match with concussion after being struck on the head when bowling to Bumrah.
One of Bumrah's drives burst through the 21-year-old's hands and onto his temple - Green dropped to the floor after the blow but was able to return to the changing rooms unaided.
It was later revealed that Green had been ruled out of the rest of the game and that a further update on his condition was expected on Saturday.
The youngster's injury situation is another concern for Australia with the first Test looming.
David Warner will miss the game with a groin injury, while the man expected to replace him at the top of the order, Will Pucovski, is out of this warm-up game in Sydney with mild concussion symptoms after being hit on the head by a bouncer in the previous practice fixture earlier this week.
India had lost an early wicket in their innings after electing to bat, with Mayank Agarwal caught by Burns off Sean Abbott for two - only for Prithvi Shaw (40 off 29) and Shubman Gill (43 off 58) to then score briskly.
Shaw was castled by Sutherland in the ninth over while Gill then fell in the 23rd as India's innings completely unravelled - Ajinkya Rahane, standing in as skipper for the rested Virat Kohli, making only four.
But then up stepped Bumrah in a way no one expected as he defied his previous lowly numbers with the bat, which include a Test batting average of 2.90.
