Khawaja-Head admit relief over injured Jasprit Bumrah’s absence on Day 3 at SCG

Australian batters Usman Khawaja and Travis Head have conceded that the incomparable Jasprit Bumrahs absence on the third day of the seriesdeciding fifth Test played a big role in their teams victory against India on the bowlerfriendly SCG deckLaid low by back spasm Bumrah could not bowl on the spiciest wicket of the series as India failed to defend a small 162run target to lose the BorderGavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decadeSuch was Bumrahs impact on the series that the Australians heaved a sigh of relief when they realised that the injured pacer would not be taking the field Khawaja was one of the worst sufferers through the long seriesI was just getting Bumrahd It was tough work I have to face this guy with the new ball every single timeYou never want to see anyone injured and its a shame he was but thank God for us Today wouldve been an absolute nightmare facing him on that wicket As soon as we didnt see him out there we thought alright weve got a chance here Khawaja told ABC SportThe 38yearold Khawaja who has scored over 5500 runs in Test cricket said that Bumrah just did not give him any opportunity to score runs off himHes the toughest bowler Ive ever faced And I have faced him in 2018 He got me out once he was alright he was good but he has been something else this year He has got his tail up Khawaja saidBumrah who took 32 wickets in the rubber at an average of 1306 and was named the Player of the Series dismissed the batter six timesAsked about what made facing Bumrah such a daunting task Khawaja said The wickets have definitely helped him He is six years more mature He understands his skills who he is bowling toHe has different plans for everyone I always felt like no matter how good a bowler is I can always get something to score runs but I did not get anything at all from him Hes just so hard I dont have to face him again thank GodKhawajas views were seconded by the swashbuckling lefthanded batter Travis Head during a chat with the broadcastersI think there were 15 people really pleased that Bumrah didnt bowl today Hes a great performer he had an exceptional tour Head saidHead who made two big hundreds in the series before signing off with an unbeaten 34 on Sunday spoke about how his 46run stand with Khawaja for the fourth wicket gave him the belief that they would win the gameNice to contribute I dont worry about the results too much Two great teams felt like it would be nice if I could come out and contribute Same approach as always felt like I was moving well knew that if I could build a partnership with Usman we would be well placedThe last series here they played exceptionally well even in Perth they put us on the backfoot Been a crazy five Tests the guys that got through all five are probably looking forward to some time off Theres been a lot of media attention too Head saidWith agency inputs