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Jasprit Bumrah, who will be accompanied by Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana, will automatically take the onus of leading the pack.
Krishna or Rana – Who will step up in Australia?
As the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy is around the corner, eyes will be on India’s pace battery, which lacks experience. Jasprit Bumrah, who will be accompanied by Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana, will automatically take the onus of leading the pack.
The challenge would be to fill the big shoes of Mohammad Shami, who’s yet to get clearance from the BCCI’s medical team. With Bumrah and Siraj pairing up as the experienced guys, the toss-up will be among the rest of the three who have collectively played just 7 Tests for India. Krishna has played 2 matches, Akash has 5, and Rana has yet to make his international debut.
Harshit might get his debut cap in the upcoming Test series against Australia, but former selector Devan Gandhi believes that the right-arm Delhi pacer should have been part of the India A team playing in Australia to acclimatise to the conditions.
“Harshit is a very promising and brave cricketer. He doesn’t shy away from challenges. But had he been in Australia with the India A team right now, he would have got more time to understand the lengths and how to bowl with the Kookaburra ball,” Gandhi was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
“Mind you, you may have to rest Bumrah in the middle of such a long series. Saini doesn’t look to be at his best and his economy is a major concern,” he added.
Meanwhile, former bowling coach Paras Mhambrey was of the opinion that the management needs to back Siraj in Australia.
“You have to back him. He has the art of taking wickets and the experience of bowling around the world. His rhythm seems to be bothering him right now. But he is experienced enough to know that he needs to do a lot of bowling to get it back,” Mhambrey was quoted as saying by the daily.
The former India bowling coach further suggested that the absence of Shami won’t add any pressure on Siraj’s shoulders. He added if the latter finds his rhythm, he can pose a huge threat to the Aussies.
“I don’t think so. The pressure may affect his consistency with line and length. But once he finds his rhythm, all of that will be taken care of. He knows you have to stick to a plan and line in Australia,” he said.
Speaking about Krishna’s ability, Mhambrey said, “Prasidh’s ability to generate bounce from a fuller length is his USP. When he is on song, he is very tough to play. The Kookaburra ball flattens out by the 35th over. That’s when you need someone to hold an end and someone to do something extra like Bumrah does.”
