“Best bowler across all three formats”: Glenn Maxwell’s rich praise for India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah was the chief architect of India’s last two Test series wins in Australia.

By Salman Anjum - 29 Sep, 2024

The anticipation around the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy is palpable. Australia are India are slated to square off in a five-match Test series for the first time in over three decades.

The marquee series is slated to get underway on November 22 in Perth and the action will then shift to Adelaide (December 6-10), where both teams will face each other in a Day-Night Test. The last three Tests are set to take place in Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7).

With less than two months remaining for the series, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has said that Australia's success will depend on how their batters negate the ace Indian spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

India are eyeing their third successive series triumph Down Under after scripting historical victories during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 tours.

"I think that over a long period of time, having played against guys like Ashwin and Jadeja, those two seem to have always been the ones we've faced consistently, and the battles we've had with them have often dictated the outcome of the game," Maxwell told Star Sports.

The Ashwin-Jadeja duo has taken a staggering 821 Test wickets between then in 330 innings with 50 five-wicket hauls.

“If we play well against those two (Ashwin, Jadeja), we'll generally find ourselves in a better position compared to when they've had a field day and run through us. Those two guys have been there for most of my career, being of a similar age,” Maxwell added.

Maxwell also had special praise reserved for ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was the chief architect of India’s last two Test series wins in Australia.

Bumrah has played seven Tests on Australia soil, picking up 32 scalps at a remarkable average of 21.25, including one five-wicket haul.

“…And probably, more recently, Jasprit Bumrah. I was there in his first year of the IPL in 2013 at Mumbai and pretty much faced him every day in the nets.

“To see him evolve from a young, untapped talent to what he is now—the probably best bowler across all three formats—is a pretty amazing story,” Maxwell remarked.

(With PTI Inputs)

By Salman Anjum - 29 Sep, 2024

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