Jasprit Bumrah’s 17-ball 22 puts India’s stand-in-captain above Rohit Sharma in BGT 2024-25; here’s how

Jasprit Bumrah's 17-ball 22 in the first innings of the fifth Test against Australia was enough for India's stand-in-captain to rise above regular skipper Rohit Sharma in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Coming at No.10, Bumrah smashed three fours and a six during his short stay at the crease, thus helping his team to go past the 180-run mark.

Interestingly, Bumrah's 22 is the highest score by an Indian captain in BT 2024-25. For the record, India have used two captains in the series. After Rohit missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child, Bumrah was entrusted with the responsibility and he came out with flying colours, guiding India to a 295-run victory.

The 37-year-old returned to the Indian playing XI in Adelaide in the pink ball Test. Sacrificing his opening position to KL Rahul, Rohit batted at No.6 in the second and third (Brisbane) Tests before returning to his original spot in the fourth game in Melbourne.

While India lost in Adelaide and Melbourne and drew in Brisbane, Rohit's bat didn't yield runs, adding to India's misery. In the five innings Rohit played in Australia this time, the right-hander recorded scores of 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9. He eventually ‘stood down’ from the fifth Test in Sydney owning to poor form, thus giving the leadership mantle to Bumrah again.

Jasprit Bumrah magic at BGT 2024-25

While all his fellow teammates struggled on Australian conditions this time, Bumrah shone bright every time he took the ball in hand. With two five-wicket hauls already in the series, Bumrah has so far taken 32 wickets to become the Indian with the most Test scalps in a single series in Australia.

However, he left the game midway on Day 2 in Sydney and went to a hospital for medical scans. Although everything looked alright initially, Bumrah's teammate Prasidh Krishna revealed that the senior India pacer complained about back spasms. His medical scans are a precautionary measure. An official medical update from the BCCI is awaited.