Batting great Sunil Gavaskar said that Jasprit Bumrah single-handedly made India challenge Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which was the reason the Indian team management over-bowled him a bit during the series.

Bumrah bowled 151.2 overs in the series, which took a toll on his body as he went out of the field during Day 2 of the SCG Test and left the stadium for scans after feeling discomfort in the back. He didn't bowl on the third and final day of the fifth match in Sydney as India failed to defend the 162-run target.

The team management faced some criticism for not managing Bumrah's workload well and over-bowling him during the series, but Gavaskar came in their defence. The legendary batter asserted that when a bowler has such a big impact in the series, the skipper often tends to over-bowl him to get the desired results for the team.

"I think they did what was best for the team, because without him, India would not have been in any position in the series. And therefore, when you have a bowler, who's taking the wickets, you tend to overbowl him to an extent and that is totally understandable. I don't think we can blame the team management for this because they and Bumrah were only looking to do what was good for the team at that particular point in time," Gavaskar told India Today.

Bumrah, who led India in Perth and Sydney Tests, finished the tour with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, and was named Player of the Series.

Gavaskar said that he was praying overnight for Bumrah before Day 3's play as he wanted the 31-year-old to bowl a few over in the fourth innings to make a big impact.

"Yes, they would have. Look, it's a back injury. Bumrah is a very, very dedicated cricketer. And so I think even if he had been a little bit able to bowl, he would have come out and bowled. Therefore, I was praying overnight that, he could maybe come and bowl just four or five overs with the new ball. And I knew that India would not be able to set Australia a target of more than 190 and 200. So if he could have come in bowl, four or five overs at the start, then that would have made a big difference," Gavaskar said.

'MCG Test took a toll on Bumrah's body'

However, Gavaskar admitted that Bumrah's workload started getting worse during the Boxing Day Test at MCG when he was asked to bowl eight to nine spells in the second innings to rescue the Indian team.

"I think what really took the load for him was the fourth day in Melbourne, where he bowled eight to nine different spells of three to four overs. And I think that really took a toll on his body. And there was actually a video of him saying to Rohit Sharma, 'ab bass ho gaya', and which actually tells you that even for a man who loves bowling, who enjoys taking wickets for India, the load had just got a little too much," Gavaskar added.