"Has to be something a little bit worse" - Michael Vaughan makes huge statement on Jasprit Bumrah's fitness during BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Former England captain Michael Vaughan felt that there is more to Jasprit Bumrah's injury than the back spasm claim made by the management. The Indian bowling spearhead bowled only one over after the Lunch Break on Day 2 of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Bumrah had left the venue in his training kit, apparently to the hospital with members of the support staff, to get scans of the injured area to assess the extent and damage.

Fellow pacer Prasidh Krishna confirmed during the press conference after the end of the day's play that Bumrah is suffering from back spasms, the same injury that has kept Akash Deep out of the series finale.

Reports later suggested that Bumrah is fit enough to turn up with the bat on Day 3, but a call regarding his bowling would be taken on the morning of the decisive day based on how he felt.

Though the pacer turned up in his jersey ahead of the day's play, he was not actively involved in the warm-ups or the drills.

Vaughan felt that Bumrah, who has a comprehensive history of back injuries, is dealing with something worse than a spasm that is being hidden.

“We’ve all seen enough cricket that when a player goes in a vehicle to go and get scans it’s not just a back spasm, it has to be something a little bit worse than that," Vaughan told Fox Cricket

Vaughan underwent surgery to address issues to his back, largely due to a stress fracture in 2022, which caused him to miss some major tournaments like the Asia Cup, T20 World Cup, and the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).

"I’d go as far as to say if he’s done bowling in the second innings, Australia will win the game" - Michael Vaughan

India's hopes of clinching a win, and retaining the series, rests almost entirely on Jasprit Bumrah. The leading wicket-taker of the campaign is a major reason why the series' fate is still undecided.

The Men in Blue did a commendable job without Bumrah in the first innings to clean up the tail. However, with a tricky target and a driven Australian batting unit, the Indian bowling unit will need their leader to stay in the hunt.

"I’d go as far as to say if he’s done bowling in the second innings, Australia will win the game. If Bumrah is bowling at the pitch we’ve seen at the SCG I think India are in a really good position... if they can get to 200 and Bumrah can be bowling, I think it’ll be a tough chase for Australia," Vaughan said

“But if Bumrah is not able to bowl in that second innings, I think Australia will be able to chase it down," he added

As of writing, Bumrah has come out to bat at No.10 following the dismissal of Washington Sundar in the first session of Day 3.