Australia's decision to field an unchanged frontline pace attack last summer might have been unusual as selectors now reassess their seam options after losing allrounder Cameron Green.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood have showcased remarkable durability, playing in Australia's last nine Tests dating back to the Ashes tour. Last summer, they benefited from bowler-friendly conditions at home and in New Zealand, where none of the seven matches extended to a fifth day. Only three innings required Australia to bowl more than 78 overs, allowing them to stay fresh.
However, India's formidable batting lineup presents a different challenge for the upcoming five-match series over seven weeks. There are concerns about whether Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood can endure the entire series, given the expected intensity.
Australia's pace depth is being tested with several fringe bowlers recovering from injuries. Quick Lance Morris, a regular squad member yet to debut at Test level, recently suffered a quad strain but is expected to return by the end of the month. Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who had a successful start to the Sheffield Shield season, have recovered from off-season injuries and will participate in Australia A's upcoming red-ball series against India A.
"If you look at the quicks last year we were certainly prepared that they might not be able to play all the Tests and they did," George Bailey, Australia chair of selectors, said on Monday, as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"Potentially that might have been an outlier and again this summer we'll be prepared that if we do need to make some adjustments throughout the summer that we are ready to go," he added.
The workload for Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood could increase with Green sidelined for the entire summer due to a stress fracture in his back. While Green's bowling was cautiously utilized in his Test career, he was expected to play a larger role against India.
"Someone like Cam basically started in Shield cricket as a bowler but hasn't had to bowl heaps in Test matches. Now he is a few years older, I think we will be leaning on him a bit more," Cummins said in August, as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Mitchell Marsh might be called upon to fill Green's void, but he has only bowled four overs since a hamstring injury during the IPL. Despite a strong batting performance for Western Australia, Marsh did not bowl in the match.
If selectors opt for a like-for-like replacement for Green, Aaron Hardie and Beau Webster are contenders. Hardie, who missed the opening Shield round due to a quad injury, is set to return for WA's next match against Tasmania starting October 20.
"Even looking at the three quicks that we generally play in Test cricket, they've played a lot of Test cricket together where they haven't had an allrounder as well", Bailey said.
"Think it certainly depends on the personnel that are available. Guess the role that Cam and Mitch have played is that they've been able to hold down a spot purely on the back of their batting and think that's still fundamentally what's most important in that top six," he added.
"Will continue preparing for Mitch Marsh to bowl some overs as well, that's been part of his management for the last couple of months," he noted.
Australia's management has carefully regulated the workloads of their fast bowlers ahead of the India series.
Cummins missed the entire white-ball tour of England to rest from bowling and is unlikely to play a Shield game before the India series. Instead, he will prepare by leading Australia in their ODI series against Pakistan. Hazlewood and Starc are expected to play at least one Shield match before the Pakistan series.
"Pat's obviously had an individual prep, but if you go through the Test team from the end of last year and their build up to the first Test this year, everyone's slightly nuanced," Bailey said.
"There's always an eye to the individual as to what their best preparation is for any Test summer. I think the proliferation of franchise cricket means that there are plenty of opportunities and temptations for players to fill gaps," he added, as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"Pat, Mitch and Josh have been pretty amazing over how they've been able to select which franchise tournaments they play. And they always give themselves good breaks when it's appropriate as well," Bailey noted.
