Bumrah left frustrated after missing out on 'the biggest opportunity of the series'

Jasprit Bumrah, India's stand-in captain, expressed his frustration at missing out on the opportunity to play on what he called "the most challenging wicket of the series" in Sydney against Australia.

Bumrah didn't bowl in India's defence of 162 folloowing back spasms that flared up during play on Saturday. Bumrah went for precautionary scans and didn't return to take the field for the remainder of the Test. He finished the series with 32 wickets in nine innings at 13.06, to be named Player of the Series.

"It's a little frustrating, but sometimes you've got to respect your body, you can't fight your body," Bumrah told Isa Guha on the official broadcast after the game. "It's a little disappointing in the end because I probably missed out on the spiciest wicket of the series, but that's the way it is. Sometimes, you have to accept it and move forward."

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Bumrah revealed that he had gone off on the second day after he "felt a little discomfort, [and] wanted to check it out what's happening in the first innings when I came back from my second spell".

In Bumrah's absence, Prasidh Krishna, playing his first Test on tour, and Mohammed Siraj helped polish off Australia's lower order to secure a slender four-run lead. In the second innings, they managed to pick up four wickets but fell short in the end.

"The chat was about belief, the other bowlers stepped up in the first innings," Bumrah said when asked about their plans in their small defence. "With one bowler short, the others had to take extra responsibility. This morning, the chat was about having belief, and that we are good enough and if we create enough pressure, we will be able to do some damage."

Reflecting on the tour on the whole, Bumrah said there were a lot of learnings for the younger group to take back, especially in handling different situations under pressure.

As many as 15 of the 17 players in the squad got opportunities in the series. India handed a Test cap to Harshit Rana, while Prasidh returned to play a Test after nearly a year after Akash Deep's injury. Siraj featured in all five Tests, while Yashasvi Jaiswal, who began the series with a century in Perth, was among the standout batters along with KL Rahul.

"I think it was a well-fought series, lot of learnings for us and experience that our players have gained who've come here for the first time"

"So, a lot of ifs and buts, because the whole series was well fought, and today as well we were in game; it was not like it was totally one sided," Bumrah said. "This is how Test cricket goes; in the nervy moments, whichever team holds their nerve for the longest and sticks together and tries to find a way out of that will win the series.

"I think it was a well-fought series, lot of learnings for us and experience that our players have gained who've come here for the first time. Being in the game for longer, creating pressure, sometimes absorbing pressure when wickets are difficult, sometimes playing to the situation.

"Sometimes all these learnings are important. Young players come up and they score runs, have success through a certain way, but in Test cricket you have to sometimes adapt to the situation, make your game work in a different manner as well. These learnings will help us in the future.

"They've gained a lot of experience; they'll only go from strength to strength from here. Australia is not the easiest place to play cricket, but we've shown we have a lot of talent in our group, it's all about adapting and learning new things about your game. I'm sure lot of youngsters are keen, obviously they are disappointed we weren't able to win the series, but they want to take the learning forward."