Thoughts, ramblings and a hot take from the conclusion of the Border Gavaskar trophy series:
Yes, Jasprit Bumrah is an excellent bowler who did an absolute number on the Australian side 4/5 games in the series. But I don’t think he should have been man of the series, because his side didn’t win. What he did, did not retain the trophy for his side. Yes, he put up some great stats (arguably because India over bowled him and has now lead to him being injured mid test), but one player’s stats don’t win a series, and man of the series should ultimately be about overall impact on the series.
The player of the series should have been our lord and saviour Pat Cummins. I know he’s often man of the series, and I’ll admit a personal bias to the man because I’ve always liked him as a player and I personally tipped him as the best choice for captain post-Paine scandal, but here are some facts.
This is the first time in ten years that Australia has outright won (not drawn and retained) the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
This is the first time in a long ass while that Australia has outright won a series after a first test loss
Australia won the series despite including three players on debut, including a 19 year-old opener replacing a legendary recently retired opening batsman.
They clinched the last test before tea on pink day, day 3, despite nutcase worsening pitch conditions that truly made old grown-in pitches of the SCG on day 5 look predictable
They won this series in front of record crowds, including the second year of memorial and honours for Shane Warne at Boxing Day
And, in my mind, one of the most important points:
Pat Cummins’ Australian side currently holds all 5 bilateral trophies it plays in (The Ashes, Border-Gavaskar, Trans-Tasman, Benaud-Qadir and Frank Worrell) and the World Cup in 50 over format, and the World Test Championship. The only thing they don’t currently hold is the T20 World Cup, in which they came second to India.
It’s quite literally not possible for all of those trophies to have been won in Australia. It’s truly a versatile team, held together by a well-loved leader and exceptional cricketer. Many teams placed under the pressure that Australia saw in this series would dig their heels in and not make a bid to win, but draw. His team did not give up under that pressure and adversity, and there is always, always a way forward. There’s a running line in my home that cricket is played above the tentorium, meaning, headspace and mental approach is one of the most important factors in the game, and as a captain, I think this is where Pat Cummins makes the greatest impact in his leadership of the team.
On his individual stats level, in this series, he won crucial runs for the Australian side when it mattered most, and took many, many wickets and catches, while making essentially strategic decisions with the team on fielding and preserving the bowlers to prevent injury. Despite being a self-professed bowler, his stats as of the conclusion of the Boxing Day test rank him 3rd in the world on the rankings as an all-rounder. He really is that good. His impact on this team, on Australian cricket, is palpable, and for those reasons, he should have been man of the series.
(I could also make a case for how Travis Head was an equally quality choice for man of the series for his over 448 runs in the series.)
Big props to India on the series, and extra big props for participating in pink day, unlike certain other sides that play Australia in December-January.