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Pakistan's ODI series victory in Australia showcased the raw pace and skill of their fast bowling attack, spearheaded by Haris Rauf.
The series underscored the immense potential of Pakistan's pace battery and offered valuable lessons for Team India.
Rauf's relentless speed and precision overwhelmed the Australian batters, exposing vulnerabilities that other teams could exploit.
His consistent 150 kph+ deliveries and ability to generate steep bounce troubled seasoned players like Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne, who are typically dominant on Australian pitches.
Pakistan's fast bowling trio of Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi provided excellent support to Rauf, combining variety and skill. Their collective ability to extract movement and maintain pressure was pivotal in Pakistan's success.
India's pace attack has been pivotal in recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy wins over Australia.
Notably, India's fast bowlers -- Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami (who will miss the coming tour due to injury) and Mohammed Siraj -- were key to their historic back-to-back series wins in Australia (2018-2019 and 2020-2021).
Their pace, bounce and accuracy neutralised Australia's home advantage and delivered crucial breakthroughs, with young bowlers like Siraj and Shardul Thakur stepping up amid injuries.
While India traditionally leaned on spin, these victories underscore the importance of a balanced attack, with pace now central to India's strategy in challenging conditions.
Inspired by Pakistan's success in Australia, where raw pace and precision were game-changers, India can enhance its pace arsenal, positioning its bowlers to dominate in the Australia series.
As former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie pointed out, Pakistan's bowling exposed flaws in Australia's batting lineup.
'What we saw in this series is our bowling exposed some flaws in the Australian batting. I'm sure the Australians will look to right some wrongs and improve some things. That's what good players and good teams do -- you learn, adjust, and adapt for the next challenge," Gillespie told The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
Australia rested key pacers Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc for the Pakistan series decider as well as seasoned batters Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, keeping an eye on the series against India.
Gillespie acknowledged that this strategic resting was anticipated and essential for long-term player management, especially in the face of a packed international calendar.
'It's critical to manage players effectively to keep them fit for key matches,' Gillespie commented. 'It's unrealistic to have players playing every scheduled match -- this approach helps prevent burnout.'