Jasprit Bumrah will be India’s key bowler in the upcoming Test series against Australia. This series marks India’s first Test tour of Australia in 33 years, starting with the first Test in Perth on November 22.
India has triumphed in their last two tours to Australia, prompting the Australian team to seek revenge. Before facing the Aussies, India will play Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home, offering a chance to boost their position in the WTC points table.
Australia is currently focused on white-ball cricket and will switch back to Test cricket for the series against India.
Former Australian fast bowler Jeff Lawson has lauded Jasprit Bumrah, who was named Men of the Tournament in India’s recent T20 World Cup victory in the West Indies and the USA.
There Are No Queues From His Action: Jeff Lawson On Jasprit Bumrah
“[Jasprit Bumrah] is a cross between C3P0 and the Transformer Optimus Prime. You’ve just got to love his broad smile, never-ending energy, and the seamless transition from his yorker to his bouncer.”
“There are no ‘tells’, no queues from his action to alert batsmen to the change of length or seam position. The brevity of his run-up does not give time to settle into the normal batting rhythm of tap, tap, tap, then fix a stare at the ball in hand,” Lawson told Mid-day.
He further spoke about the challenges Bumrah will have to encounter in his upcoming trip. He said that Bumrah will need to control the Kookaburra ball to get the most help out of it.
“The challenge for Bumrah, or any fast bowler in Australia, is getting the most out of the Kookaburra Turf ball. If the pitches are hard and dry (which they are most of the time but recently some juicy strips have been served up that have made seam bowling a true delight), he will get reverse swing going sooner rather than later. Seam bowling the key to being successful in Australia, is your older ball skills, and reverse swing is a significant part of that” Lawson said.
Jasprit Bumrah has been a prominent performer in his previous tours to Australia. During the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he claimed 21 wickets at an average of 17, including a notable 6/33. In the subsequent series two years later, he took 13 more wickets across three matches before being sidelined by a back injury for the fourth match. Overall, Bumrah has amassed 32 wickets against Australia in seven Test matches.
Since then, Bumrah has struggled with a series of injuries, missing the T20 World Cup in 2022 and several bilateral series. He also missed the 2023 season due to a back stress injury. However, he made a strong comeback during the ODI World Cup, playing a crucial role in India’s journey to the final by taking 20 wickets.
Currently, Bumrah is resting after India’s T20 World Cup triumph but is expected to return for the home Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, followed by the highly anticipated series against Australia.
