PERTH Perth: Called “impossible” by explosive Australian batsman Travis Head and “cat burglar” by former fast bowler Brett Lee, Jasprit Bumrah's reputation precedes him. The Indian fast bowler, who will captain India in the first Test of the five-match series starting here on Friday, has surprised both past and present Australian players with his skill and danger. According to the local media here, no touring fast bowler since the golden era of the West Indies in the 1970s has inspired as much fear in the hearts of Australians as Bumrah. On his last two Test tours of Australia, 30-year-old Bumrah, who is set to captain India in the first Test of the five-match series here starting on Friday, took 32 wickets at an average of 21.25, including 6/6 during the 2018 Boxing Day Test. Also includes a match-winning performance of 33. Since the beginning of the 20th century, only two bowlers in Australia have taken more wickets at a low average – Richard Hadlee and Curtly Ambrose.
Head, Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith – all top-order batsmen – who are set to face Bumrah in this exciting five-match series, are unanimous that the Indian fast bowler can play a vital role for India.Head “It's impossible to face him. You try to feel like you're one step ahead, but it always feels like he's the next step up,” he told Fox Cricket.
“In any format of the game, he is unbelievable. He is their They need big players, and I think he is their biggest player. As a batsman you have to work hard. He's a player who is going to be difficult to play in the summer.”
Part of Bumrah's magic is his signature bowling action, which challenges the conventions of cricket. “He (Bumrah) penetrates like a thief,” fast bowler Lee said in a lighter vein. Bumrah's “weird and bizarre” The action left Khawaja wondering where the ball came from when he faced the Indian for the first time. “When I faced Bumrah for the first time, I was thinking, 'Oh where did it come from?'” Khawaja said. .“It comes a little quicker than you expect because his action is weird and how he releases the ball. “Like Mitchell Johnson, he had a weird action. The ball would come out and it would seem like it was coming at you fast because you didn't get a chance to see it all. Jasprit is also like this to some extent, his hands go everywhere.”
Star batsman Smith is one of the few Australian players who has an excellent record against Bumrah, averaging 56.67 across all formats, but the New South Wales man admitted that he is still struggling with the Indian fast bowler at the start of his innings. Feel weak in front of. “The way he bowls is strange, it's obviously very different to a lot of other guys,” Smith said. “It takes a little time to get used to. I've played against him a lot so far, and it still takes a few balls to get used to the different rhythm.”
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