"Baby Bunch": Bumrah And Co Target Of Nasty Assault By Australian Media

It was an interesting day of play in Sydney as India and Australia fought it out in the final Test encounter of their five-match Test series on Friday. From India skipper Rohit Sharma not playing in the match following a dismal run of form to Jasprit Bumrah engaging in an on-field spat with Sam Konstas, the day had it all. Australia finished with the advantage as India were bowled out for just 185 but Usman Khawaja's dismissal on the final ball of the day was enough to set up an interesting encounter. While experts and fans had a lot of opinions about everything that transpired on Friday, the Australian media once again took a brutal dig at Jasprit Bumrah and Co. The West Australian featured a number of Indian cricketers looking disappointed along with the caption - "The Baby Bunch - India cement status as world's biggest sooks".

The back page of tomorrow's The West Australian.@TheWestSport @westaustralian pic.twitter.com/kPCMyQ6A2u — Jakeb Waddell (@JakebWaddell) January 3, 2025

Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar was amazed by the aggression shown by the Indian team and especially stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah on Day 1 of the final Test.

The atmosphere flared up when a heated altercation between Bumrah and young Sam Konstas unfolded towards the final moments of Day 1.

The expressions on Bumrah's face clearly indicated he wasn't pleased with whatever Konstas had said to him while standing at the non-striker's end.

On the next delivery after the fiery exchange, Bumrah gave a fitting reply to the young Australian. He put Usman Khawaja in an awkward stance to lure out a thick outside edge, with KL Rahul taking a sharp catch at the second slip.

The entire team celebrated in front of Konstas, with stalwart Virat Kohli being the most animated among all the Indian players. Bumrah initially charged and then slowed down while staring at Konstas, who walked away to avoid the Indian's gaze.

"Yeah, they're all fired up, and it's great to see, right at the end of a long series, this kind of emotion. I mean, Bumrah has been phenomenal, and 'great' doesn't seem to be enough to describe his performance as a bowler. To see him fired up in this fashion is quite rare. Sam Konstas--there's something about him that gets under the skin of the Indian players. You saw Virat Kohli in the background as well, really fired up," Manjrekar said on Star Sports.

(With IANS inputs)