Bumrah returned with eight wickets to script India’s historic win in the Perth Test.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins hailed Jasprit Bumrah as one of the best bowlers in the world after the latter returned with an eight-wicket haul to script India’s 295-run victory in the Perth Test.
Bumrah, who stepped in as captain in the absence of Rohit Sharma, made the Aussie batters danced to his tunes at the Optus Stadium. While the right-arm quick picked up five wickets in Australia’s first innings, he claimed three scalps in the second essay.
“I thought he bowled really well. He’s one of the best in the world. He’s always going to be a challenge, so we got to come up with ways to combat that. I thought particularly that Day 1, his spell, the spell from the Indian guys, made it tricky for our team to navigate through. He bowled well through the game, like he does most games," said Cummins in the post-match press conference.
Cummins also backed top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne to bounce back in the second Test, which will be played with the pink-ball at the Adelaide Oval from December 6.
Labuschagne recorded scores of 2 and 3 in Perth, adding more to his dismal performances in Tests, where he averages just 31.75 in 19 matches since 2023, a major slump from his overall average of 48.45.
“Marnus along with quite a few guys in the team didn’t have the week we would have wanted. It’s no secret how hard the batters, particularly Marn works in the nets. He’s always trying to find those small marginal gains. This week will be a lot of conversation with the coaches around his approach and what he could be doing differently."
“We know he’s a class player, him at his best is one of the scariest propositions for opposition bowlers to bowl at. We’ll get to Adelaide a little bit earlier and maybe do an extra day or two prep leading into that second Test."
“He’s done it before over there, he’s got a very good pink-ball record, so I always think looking back at past successes when you were at your best is always a pretty good way to get yourself back on track," the captain added.
Cummins revealed that all-rounder lad Mitchell Marsh has pulled up sore after bowling 17 overs in the series opener. “He’s battling a couple of little niggles since the UK tour. The main thing is he’s in there as one of the top six batters in the country and bowling is a bonus."
“He was a little bit sore towards the end of this Test match. Again, in the next 10 days, a chance to freshen up and try and get it right. We’ll see how he goes. Ideally, he would be able to bowl in each Test match."
Cummins made it clear that there won’t be drastic changes in the Australian Test squad. “I think after a Test you look at what you think your best match-up is. This is a sample size of one. Four or five days ago we thought this was our best XI. So I dare say … there won’t be many changes going into Adelaide, but I’m not a selector. I’m sure they’ll get together after the game. We (have) got a bit of work to do over the next 10 days."
Cummins is confident of his team making a strong comeback after thorough introspection of what happened in Perth.
"Not an ideal way to start the summer. You sit in the changeroom after a loss like that, and it hurts. When a team declares on you, it’s never an amazing feeling. We’ve all been in these situations before. It’s the nature of professional sport, you’re going to lose some games."
“The biggest challenge and the most important thing is how do you bounce back, what’s your next move. That’s what we need to do this week. We were clearly well off the mark, there’s a lot to work on, so the most important thing is there’s four Test matches to come. How do we make sure we aren’t in this position again?"
(With IANS Inputs)