NEWS
Follow UsTeam India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah has asserted that the side is ‘very well prepared’ heading into the five-Test series against Australia, having spent ample time getting acclimated to the conditions.
The cramped nature of modern cricket does not usually allow visiting sides to get familiar with the conditions but India have spent solid time Down Under in the lead-up to the first Test in Perth. The first batch of senior players arrived in Perth ten days prior to the first Test and the team have since had center-wicket practice at the WACA and have also had match simulations.
Some individuals, such as Nitish Kumar Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal, have spent close to a month in Australia having played both the unofficial Tests against Australia ‘A’, while the likes of KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel have also already had a first-class game under their belt in the country.
According to Bumrah, the preparation has been perfect. It’s now all about the execution.
"We're very well prepared. We came here early, we got time to spend at WACA. A lot of the youngsters are coming to Australia for the first time, yes, but when we came for the first time [in 2018], we got less time than this and we ended up winning the series,” Bumrah said ahead of the first Test.
“We always believe and have confidence in our side - whenever we play, whatever the situation might be. In terms of preparation, we're in a really good place. Now it's about switching on mentally and we're looking to do that. Hopefully things will fall in place after that."
India will enter this upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a rather weird spot, having just been whitewashed at home by New Zealand. Due to what unfolded back home twenty days ago, many believe that the tourists ‘might be there for the taking’ come the BGT.
But the stand-in skipper insisted that the team will be carrying no baggage whatsoever from the New Zealand Tests.
"When you win, you start from zero, and when you lose, you also start from zero. We are not carrying any baggage from India. Yes, we have taken our learnings from the New Zealand series, but those were different conditions, and our results here have been different," Bumrah said.
India will start the series without a key member in Mohammed Shami, who has just played one professional game after a long injury lay-off and is still building up his fitness. Shami has understandably not flown to Australia due to his evident lack of match fitness, but Bumrah asserted that there is every chance that we might see the veteran speedster in action sometime later in this five-Test series, granted there are no setbacks with his recovery.
“Shami bhai has started to play cricket, and obviously, he is an integral part of this team. I'm sure the management is also keeping a keen eye (on him). Hopefully, things fall in place and you might see him here as well,” the 30-year-old said.
A day ahead of the Test, India’s playing XI remains a mystery. The word going around is that there could be as many as two debuts with one of them being the all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was hyped a day ago by the side’s bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Bumrah, though, did not give away anything related to the team combination and kept his cards close to his chest.
"We have finalised our playing XI, and you will get to know tomorrow morning before the start of the match," he said.
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