NEWS
Follow UsJasprit Bumrah said India’s bowling unit is currently going through a transition phase and it’s his job to help the other bowlers. In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the ace paceman has claimed 18 wickets at an average of 11.72 but has lacked support from the other end.
Mohammed Siraj has 11 wickets at an average 25 but most of his wickets have come after the damage had already been done. Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Nitish Reddy, who are all on their first tour of Australia, have struggled and only have eight wickets between them at an average of more than 65.
Twice in this series - 337 in Adelaide and 445 in Brisbane - Australia have batted India out of the contest. "See, we don't as a team point fingers at each other and we don't want to get into that mindset where we are pointing fingers at each other (and say) that 'you should do this, you should do that',” said Bumrah, who picked up six wickets in the first innings of the third Test.
"Obviously, we, as a team, are going through a transition where new players are coming here and it's not the easiest place to play cricket. Over here, it's a different atmosphere with this wicket being a different challenge. So yeah, we're not looking at that.
"Obviously, as a bowling unit, as I said, we are in transition, so it's my job to help the others. I have played a little more than them, so I am trying to help them. But again, everyone will learn through it, will get better and eventually will find different ways. So this is the journey that you'll have to go through."
Talking about Siraj, who took 2/97 and leaked runs at an economy of 4.2 in the first innings of the Brisbane Test, Bumrah said: “We have had conversations but this was the conversation he had with me before we came (to Australia). I think when we came here in Perth, as well as the last game, he looked in very good spirits. He was bowling well and he has picked up a fair few of the wickets.
“In this game, I think I'll give him credit that he had a little bit of a niggle but he still kept on bowling and still helped the team because he knew if he goes inside and he doesn't bowl, then that team will go under pressure. So I think he has got a great attitude and he has got a fighter spirit that the team loves.
"In terms of wickets and all, some days you will bowl well, the wickets will come as I spoke to him before and some days you will not bowl very well but the wickets will follow. So it is all money in the bank, that is the conversation that I have had with him.
"You keep focusing on your stuff, things that you can control, keep running in, keep having a smile on his face. You wanted to play Test cricket, you are doing that. Your family is really proud of you.
"You are doing something that not many have done before. So I think he is in a very good space, that is what I know of. I don't know what else is happening but he has got a great attitude and that is a very big positive for us."
Bumrah said the Australian conditions have thrown different challenges at him but he is glad he has managed to overcome most of them. "The Test match that we played in Perth, the wicket was different, Adelaide pink ball was different, the wicket behaved different, the ball behaved differently and here it is a little different because the wicket is at a level and the run up is low. So in India, we are not used to that. We are used to state level grounds. So it is an interesting challenge.
"I always look forward to all of that and I always look to find answers. So that has always been my biggest happiness that if I come across a problem or if I come across a certain situation, I look at how do I solve it, what can I do in this scenario rather than whinging or complaining or looking at someone else or pointing fingers that I need this from this person. I don't look at all of those things. I look at myself. I have been happy with the way the ball has been coming out and yeah, looking forward to contributing even more."
Travis Head has once again been India’s biggest headache. The left-hander, so far, has smashed 392 runs in four innings at an average of 98 and a strike rate of 94.45. The second-highest run-scorer in the series, Yashasvi Jaiswal, hasn’t even managed 50 percent of what Head has scored in the series.
"The Kookaburra ball, once the seam goes down and it becomes soft, it becomes relatively easier to bat when the wicket is not offering a lot. So then you have to find solutions. How do you make run-scoring difficult? What fields do you want to have? What is an individual's strength? So it may differ from people to people,” said Bumrah.
"We've got someone like Rishabh Pant who does that as well. But all of those scenarios are very difficult for bowlers sometimes. Because you bowl a certain number of overs, the ball is not doing a lot. You can't take an attacking option. So it's a puzzle that sometimes you can solve. Sometimes, if somebody plays well, you have to take notice of it and you say, 'well played'."
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