Jasprit Bumrah has come to the defense of his fellow Indian bowlers, who have faced criticism for their struggles in providing adequate support to him during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Despite his outstanding individual performances, the Indian bowling unit has been under scrutiny, particularly as Australia has managed to post large first-innings totals in the series.

Australia’s first innings in Adelaide saw them score 337 runs, building a commanding lead of 157. In Brisbane, they posted an imposing 445, where Bumrah stood out by conceding only 76 runs from 29 overs, taking six wickets at an economy rate of 2.61. However, the rest of the Indian bowlers—Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Nitish Kumar Reddy—struggled to provide similar breakthroughs, allowing Australia to score 257 runs at 3.88 per over.

In response to these criticisms, Bumrah, who has been India’s standout bowler with 18 wickets in the series at an impressive average of 11.72, emphasized the team's spirit and mutual support. Speaking about the challenges the bowling attack has faced, he said, "We don’t as a team point fingers at each other. We don’t want to get into that mindset where we are pointing fingers at each other and saying, 'you should do this, you should do that'."

Bumrah acknowledged the difficulties of playing in Australia, especially for a transitioning Indian side with several new players. “It’s a different atmosphere with this wicket being a different challenge,” Bumrah said. “Over here, it’s not the easiest place to play cricket. We are going through a transition with new players coming in.”

Despite the challenges, Bumrah has taken it upon himself to help guide his fellow bowlers, leveraging his experience to support them. “I have played a little more than them, so I am trying to help them,” he added. "Everyone will learn through it, get better, and eventually find different ways. So this is the journey that you’ll have to go through."

Bumrah's leadership has also been evident in his mentorship of Mohammed Siraj, who has picked up 11 wickets in the series at an average of 25, but has also been a target for the crowd after giving Travis Head a send-off in the previous Test. Bumrah reflected on his conversations with Siraj, saying, "He has a great attitude and a fighter spirit that the team loves. Even when he had a little niggle, he kept bowling, knowing if he went off, the team would be under pressure."

He also offered Siraj some wise advice, saying that "some days you will bowl well, the wickets will come, and some days you won’t bowl well, but the wickets will follow." Bumrah urged Siraj to focus on what he can control, maintain a positive attitude, and remember the pride he brings to his family by playing Test cricket.

For Bumrah, the ongoing series in Australia has been an opportunity to embrace the different challenges presented by the conditions. From the unique bounce of the pitches to the differing behaviors of the Kookaburra ball, Bumrah relishes finding solutions to the problems that arise. "I always look forward to all of that and I always look to find answers," he said. "I look at myself and how I can contribute, rather than complaining or pointing fingers."

The one challenge that continues to stymie both Bumrah and the rest of the Indian bowling attack, however, is Australian opener Travis Head. Head has been in superb form, top-scoring in three of Australia's four innings, including two crucial knocks in Adelaide and Brisbane that helped Australia recover from difficult positions.

Bumrah offered a fair assessment of Head’s performances, acknowledging that once the Kookaburra ball loses its seam and the wicket stops offering assistance, it becomes easier for batters to settle. "When the wicket is not offering a lot, you have to find solutions, make run-scoring difficult, and set the right fields," Bumrah explained. "It’s a puzzle that sometimes you can solve, and sometimes you just have to say, 'well played' when someone plays well."

As India faces a daunting task in the third Test, trailing by 394 runs with just six wickets in hand on day two, Bumrah’s leadership and resilience will remain crucial for the team as they look to stage a comeback in this fiercely contested Border-Gavaskar series.