Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

How Australia plan to counter Bumrah in Adelaide Test

December 03, 2024 11:53 IST

'Get him bowling a little bit deeper in the innings with an older ball.'

Jasprit Bumrah

IMAGE: Jasprit Bumrah dismantled Australia's batting in both innings with eight wickets in the match to bowl India to a huge 295-run victory in the first Test in Perth. Photograph: BCCI/X

Wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey maintained Australia remains a 'united group' and expressed confidence in their world-class batters to counter India's pace spearheadx Jasprit Bumrah in the second Test match at Adelaide, starting on Friday.

India staged an incredible comeback in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener at Perth, winning by a massive 295-run margin with Bumrah (5/30 and 3/42) dismantling Australia's batting in both innings.

The heavy defeat left Australia looking for answers as their batters flopped collectively, leaving their famed bowling attack with a lot to do.

"He (Bumrah) is obviously a fantastic bowler, has been for a number of years. Our batters are world class as well and always find ways to come up with solutions," Carey said on Tuesday.

"We have had a look at him now. Hopefully we can combat that first, second spell. Get him bowling a little bit deeper in the innings with an older ball."

Carey believes Travis Head’s counterattacking knock in the second innings was a big positive against Bumrah's threat. He remained confident that the Australian batters would adapt not only to Bumrah but also to India’s other bowlers.

"We saw Travis sort of counterpunch a bit (in the second innings). I trust our batters, we'll find a way not only (against) Bumrah. They played a couple of other debutantes who bowled well as well,” Carey said.

After Australia were set an improbable 534 to win, Josh Hazlewood had invited the media to ask their batters how they planned to go about in the second innings, sparking  rumours of a rift between the batting and bowling groups.

Carey, however, declined there was any tensions in the dressing room.

"If you ask the batters, we all want to perform better and (as) cricketers, you go out there to score a hundred and if you don't do that, I think you're at times disappointed," Carey said.

"But we're a very united group. We all do get the opportunity to bat and we're all keen to continue to put those big runs on the board and I trust the guys to do that,” he added.

The wicketkeeper said Australia's resounding loss at Perth sparked a 'big reaction externally' but maintained that the team will stick to its processes.

"It's quite a big reaction externally for one Test loss. Internally, we don't feel that. We didn't play the way we would have liked to have played."

 

"We know (that) over four or five Test matches, (if) we keep rocking up and playing our style of cricket we will have the success. We have had that success to, I guess, call upon the method does work."

"We are calm internally, we are excited to get back out and play a better style of cricket and we have got that opportunity come Friday."

Carey did not want to draw much attention to the last Test between the two teams in Adelaide in which India were shot out for their lowest-ever Test total of 36.

"There are obviously amazing days in cricketing history but we don't expect to go out there and do that again. We have a process and a plan that we try to execute and whatever happens, happens. I was not here for that Test match."

Australia will take confidence from their great record in pink ball Tests. They have never finished on the losing side in seven pink-ball Test played in Adelaide. Infact, they have lost one just one-day night Test out of 12 played so far.

"We are excited. We take a lot of confidence for our record in pink-ball cricket -- it doesn't mean we will have the success but our methods, our style of play and the experience we have in this group we'll bounce back from Perth," he added.

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.