It's not as though this series wasn't already about Jasprit Bumrah. Since the very first evening of the first Test, when he tore up Australia's top order in the fading light of Perth, he has been both the threat and the act of making good on it. Eight wickets there, nine in Brisbane, still a chance of nine in Melbourne, even managing four in Adelaide when his team's batting failures effectively kept him to one bowling innings.
But watching a sequence of the best at their best, the marvels don't become less marvellous. Bumrah's fourth day in Melbourne, where for a few hours he turned the Test match India's way from seemingly nowhere, was seeing someone at the very top of their game. Perhaps that's what watching Brian Lara bat in 1994 might have felt like.
It's impossible to talk about Bumrah without marvelling again at his action; approaching the wicket at walking pace, arms working stiffly up and down, he explodes into a biomechanical miracle, bones transforming to liquid as he whiplashes a ball away at unfathomable pace and power.
This story is from the December 30, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 30, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Everton to stage three test games at new stadium
Everton are to stage the first game at Bramley-Moore dock stadium next month in preparation for their move to the Liverpool waterfront.
Rooney horror show
Plymouth scrap documentary after manager's departure
Hagi sparks Rangers to easy derby win and leaves Celtic baffled
Celtic's job is to prove this Old Firm outcome is nowhere near as significant as Rangers would like it to be.
Fan shame Rodgers riled after Engels struck by coin at Ibrox
Celtic’s manager, Brendan Rodgers, believes Arne Engels was close to sustaining a serious eye injury after a coin thrown from the Ibrox stands towards the end of Rangers’ 3-0 Old Firm victory struck the Belgian midfielder on the head.
The sad story of Aleksey Bugaev ends with his death in war
Talented defender, who starred at Euro 2004, opted to fight in Ukraine rather than serve a long prison sentence
Arteta has nowhere to hide as sickness and injuries begin to bite
Arsenal must negotiate eight more matches this month with a 'thin squad' but started well by winning at Brentford
Swiatek has too much for battling Boulter and puts Great Britain out
Over the course of the past 18 months, by far the most rewarding period in her blossoming career, Katie Boulter has gradually established herself as one of the best players in the world.
Djokovic keeps his Monfils run going with record 20th win
Novak Djokovic extended the most dominant head-to-head record in tennis by defeating Gaël Monfils 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International.
Van Gerwen races into final with total demolition of Dobey
It was early in 2019 that Michael van Gerwen leaned forward in his chair and told us he was going to dominate darts for a decade.
'It is reaching a stage when sport is too big and too rich for mere humans'
Back in 2000 the media's finest were hit and miss with their predictions on the unfolding of sport's future
