New Delhi: Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has expressed his concerns regarding India’s bowling heading into the Boxing Day Test match against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-45. Pujara believes India’s bowling is a little weak and the quality of India’s pace attack is not good enough to take all 20 wickets which is required to win a Test match.
Barring Jasprit Bumrah, Indian pacers have struggled to make an impact in the ongoing series. Bumrah has consistently delivered the goods for India in the three Test matches in the series so far but has often failed to find support from the other end, highlighting the cracks in India’s pace arsenal. Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker for India in the series with 21 wickets followed by Mohammed Siraj, who has scalped 13 wickets in the three Test matches.
While Bumrah and Siraj have picked up 34 wickets combined, the others have failed to live up to the expectations. The trio of Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who are on their first tour of Australia, have managed to take only 10 wickets combined. Pujara feels R Ashwin’s retirement has further complicated the matters as India might find it difficult to nail a winning combination for the Boxing Day Test.
“My biggest question and the reason for a little bit of concern is that the Indian bowling is looking a little weak. Batting is a little better, like the top five didn’t do well, but the middle order and lower middle order, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish, and even tail-enders, Bumrah and Akashdeep contributed with the bat. Now, there is a weakness in the bowling, so what will you field?,” Pujara said on Star Sports.
“That is the biggest question, because you can’t drop Nitish, you can’t drop Jadeja, so what will be the team combination? Ashwin has taken retirement, so two spinners, I don’t think they will play in Melbourne. So, how will you strengthen the bowling?” he added.
You have to take 20 wickets to win a Test match: Pujara
Pujara, a Test veteran for India, played an instrumental role in the team’s consecutive Test series triumphs in Australia in the last two editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Pujara has seen India’s success in Australia from close quarters and knows a thing or two about winning a Test series Down Under.
The veteran batter pointed out the current Indian bowling attack doesn’t have the ability to pick 20 wickets in a Test match on a regular basis which might hurt the visitors in the remaining two Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney.
“Because the three seamers are very good, but their supporting role, fourth and fifth seamer, Nitesh Kumar is the fourth seamer and Ravindra Jadeja is the fifth bowler. If you add both of them together, the bowling is not that good,” said Pujara.
“We will have to think about that, because if you want to win a Test match, then you have to take 20 wickets, and the ability to take 20 wickets is not that good, the supporting role of the other bowlers is not good, so we will have to improve that as soon as possible, and how that will be, I don’t know, but that is a big question,” he added.
All eyes will be on India’s pace attack when the visitors lock horns with Australia in the 4th Test at the MCG. The five-match series is currently tied 1-1 with India and Australia both managing a win apiece in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes India’s bowling is little weak and lacks the ability to take 20 wickets in a Test match. He has expressed his concerns ahead of the 4th Test between India and Australia at the MCG. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
