Adelaide, Australia

Ace Indian seamer Jasprit Bumrah has earned unparalleled praise from everywhere since his Perth heroics in the ongoing BGT. In the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, Bumrah captained India in the series opener, picking eight wickets, including five in the first innings, leading his team to draw first blood. However, former Australia seamer Damien Fleming has gone one step ahead by calling Bumrah the ‘Terminator’.

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Bumrah was the architect behind India's 46-run lead despite getting folded on 150 in their first innings; he picked five wickets, including four in just one session on day one. The visiting side made merry in their second outing, smashing 487 for six declared, thanks to hundreds from Yashasvi Jaiswal (161) and Virat Kohli (100*), giving Australia a mammoth target of 534.

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Like how he began in the first innings, Bumrah ran through Australia’s top order by removing opener Nathan McSweeney (0) and Marnus Labuschagne (3) inside the first six overs to dent their momentum in the chase. Though he only picked one more during the fourth innings (of Travis Head (89), Bumrah broke the camel's back across both innings to help India win the Perth Test.

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"He's just the Terminator, isn't he?" Fleming said while chatting with the Sydney Morning Herald. "He knows his strengths, and he's always sniffing to find that weakness. I think he does that instinctively, and it's not a long run-up, but I can see he's reviewed that ball, and then he's planning the next one."

Slower one to Marsh was Fleming's favourite

Fleming also recalled one of Bumrah’s most memorable deliveries in Tests Down Under – a slower and lower full toss to dismiss Shaun Marsh during the 2018 away series.

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Bumrah bamboozled Marsh with a slower Yorker just at the stroke of stumps during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, earning praises from all across.

"There's that famous dismissal of Shaun Marsh at the MCG in 2018 in the over before lunch. I was commentating at the time, and I could almost pick what was going to happen, just driving him back, so his weight's on the back foot, and then he bowls that superb slower ball and knocks him over. 

"It was either going to be that slower ball or a fast yorker. So I think he is so astute, but he also now has all the skills - outswingers, inswingers, off-cutters, slower balls, excellent yorker, bouncer. 

"So, when you've got more skills, you've got more options. Like the Terminator, he's always stalking the batsmen. And the batsmen know that, but they're still unsure what's coming. Not only does he have a wide skill set, but he executes it better than anyone in world cricket,” he continued.

Meanwhile, with Rohit relinking with the Indian squad ahead of the second Test, he will lead the side, and Bumrah will return leading the pace attack of Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana.

(With inputs from agencies)