How Jasprit Bumrah prized out Usman Khawaja’s wicket at the Gabba

Usman Khawaja’s troubles against Jasprit Bumrah continued at the Gabba, with the Indian pacer accounting for him for the third time in the series on December 15. Khawaja, who survived the opening burst of a few overs on the second day, failed to keep his bat down against Bumrah, getting a thin edge straight to Rishabh Pant. 

After a day of frustration for the Indian bowlers due to the inability to extract the best value on an overcast day, they were at it, probing the two openers early on day two. Bumrah kept attacking Khawaja’s outside edge from the first ball of the day, but initially was slightly wide, which allowed the Australian opener to safely leave the ball. 

As the spell progressed, Bumrah started getting closer and closer to the left-hander’s edge, drawing reaction from the 37-year-old. While it was evident that the plan from Bumrah was to make Khawaja play at the delivery, he even tried surprising the southpaw with an in-ducker right at the stumps. 

Eventually, after multiple attempts to go past the left-hander’s edge, Bumrah got the ball at the right spot, where neither Khawaja could leave nor could attack, leaving him with no choice but to poke at the ball. It was identical to how Bumrah had dismissed Khawaja across the Test series, in that channel where Khawaja had no choice but to play at the ball. It was the first time in the series that the left-hander had crossed the 20-run mark and was destined to put up a big score at his adopted home ground.

Before this series, Bumrah had never dismissed Khawaja, but it was never a question of how but when it would happen. India have not just found the line and length to trouble the southpaw but also have found that angle of bowling - round the wicket - from where he has been dismissed all four times in this series. 

Khawaja is enduring a rough series, and that average of 13.75, his lowest point after his Test comeback against England, really tells a tale. 

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