Australia clinched a 3-1 series win with a nail-biting victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground, wrapping up the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and reclaiming the trophy after India’s decade-long dominance in this rivalry. The six-wicket win saw Travis Head and Beau Webster steer the team to victory despite challenging batting conditions, especially with India missing their star bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah had limited overs in the first innings due to back spasms and didn’t bowl at all in the second, leaving Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj to handle the bowling duties for India. However, Bumrah still found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons when a suspicious item was spotted in his possession by TV cameras.

While adjusting his shoes, a small tube fell out, which Bumrah quickly pocketed. Some Australian fans tried to make a fuss over it, but sharp-eyed viewers, including his former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, pointed out that it was just some toe-wrapping tape he was dealing with.

Ashwin jumped into the conversation on X with a quick reply filled with laughing emojis: “That’s a finger protection pad.” He didn’t bother to address the claims against Bumrah, which seemed pretty flimsy. Some fans speculated whether Bumrah was hiding something, which hits a nerve for Australian cricket, especially after the sandpapergate scandal back in 2018 involving some of their top players.

Bumrah's hard work in the series went to waste

Ashwin decided to hang up his boots during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, wrapping up a stellar career with the Indian team. On the flip side, Bumrah had an outstanding series, snagging the player of the series title with an impressive 32 wickets after playing in every match. However, his relentless performance took a toll, and he had to miss the crucial final stretch of the series.

India was chasing a win when Australia was at 58-3, but Travis Head formed solid partnerships with Usman Khawaja and newcomer Beau Webster, who seems to be a real gem for Australia. They managed to secure a pretty straightforward victory at the SCG.

Read Also: Gambhir believes Konstas shouldn't have taunted Bumrah, labeling the Aussie as 'soft' for trying to intimidate.

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