New Delhi: After a shocking 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand, India face a tough test in Australia in the upcoming five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Kiwi drubbing has left India in a precarious position in their quest to reach a third successive World Test Championship (WTC) final.
India’s dreams of reaching the summit clash hang by a thread with Rohit Sharma’s men facing the difficult task of winning at least three Tests to have a stand any chance of qualifying for the WTC 2023-25 final.
India will play five Tests on a gruelling tour Down Under with the opener set to begin in Perth on November 22. The second match, a Day-Night affair, will be played in Adelaide followed by the third in Gabba, Brisbane. The last two Tests will be played in Melbourne and Sydney.
The series is crucial for both teams who are vying for a place in the WTC final.
The scheduling of the series has been done very smartly by Cricket Australia, feels former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull. The ex-pacer has highlighted Australia’s smart plan to counter Jasprit Bumrah’s threat.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested from the third and final Test against New Zealand, is one of the key members of the Indian squad on Australia tour. There will be massive expectations on the star pacer to deliver his magic against a strong Aussie batting unit.
However, Doull says that Australia will force Bumrah to bowl a lot of overs in the first three Test matches due to the scheduling which might suck the juice out of the pacer.
“What Australia have done smartly is scheduling. They know that while batters are going to be key in some shape or form, but their biggest threat is Jasprit Bumrah. So they have gone with the three hardest and fastest surfaces, plus the Pink-Ball Test. They are trying to cook Bumrah. They will cook him in the heat of Perth, where he will have to bowl a lot of overs. Then he is going to have to go and bowl a lot of overs in that second pink-ball Test match in Adelaide,” Doull told Jio Cinema.
Bumrah’s sensational record in Australia
Australia is one of the favourite hunting grounds of Bumrah. The Indian speedster boasts a sensational record Down Under. The star pacer has picked up 32 wickets from seven matches on Australian soil. He was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2018-19 series with 21 scalps to his name in eight innings at an astonishing average of 17.00. Australian spinner Nathan Lyon also snared 21 wickets in the series, which India won by a 2-1 scoreline.
AUS vs IND: According to former Kiwi pacer, Cricket Australia has deliberately planned the scheduling of the series to ‘cook’ Jasprit Bumrah. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
