India cricket loss to Australia sparks questions back home

NEW DELHI: Indian cricket fans and pundits heaped praise on stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday, but questioned the future of several veteran players after their team lost 3-1 to Australia in a gripping five-Test series.

Star quick bowler Bumrah offered something for India to celebrate in an otherwise gloomy assessment of the team´s performance following their six-wicket defeat in the final Test in Sydney.

“Trophy lost, questions aplenty, uncertain future,” a Times of India headline read. “Questions were continuously raised on the future of ageing superstars in that dressing room, which doesn´t look happy anymore,” the paper wrote.

The Indian Express gloomily noted that “the big two were poor”, referring to captain Rohit Sharma and batting superstar Virat Kohli. Sharma, who has averaged just 10.9 runs in his last eight Tests, stood down -- or was dropped -- for the final match because of his form.

For Kohli, apart from an unbeaten century in Perth, he was out every other time caught after edging to the wicketkeeper or slips. Bumrah, however, was a revelation.

Standing in as skipper in the final Test, he finished the tour with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, and was named Man of the Series. “Superhuman Jasprit Bumrah was let down by colossal batting failures and dubious selections,” said the Times of India.

“The highlight of the series for me... has been watching Jasprit Bumrah bowl,” said veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle, calling the loss a “fair result”. “It will be one of the highlights of my media career.”

Bumrah suffered a back niggle on Saturday and went for scans, and was ultimately forced to watch from the sidelines. “Brave fightback by India, but Bumrah´s absence was too big a loss to overcome,” Indian cricket journalist Ayaz Memon wrote on social media.