India’s fast bowling unit led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami will trouble the Australian top order in the upcoming Test series between the two sides, reckons former India opener-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra.

Chopra said that the ability that Bumrah and Shami possess alongwith the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini as options for third pacer means Australia’s top order batsmen will have their tasks cut out.

“I can answer this question with great confidence because there is Bumrah and Shami and whichever third pacer plays will also be good, whether it is Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav or Mohammed Siraj. As they say, fast bowlers hunt in pairs. So, your pair is already ready. There is no tension there, till the time Bumrah and Shami are there, I feel we will have the ability to rock the top order,” he said in a video shared on his Facebook page.

With David Warner ruled of the first Test due to an adductor muscle injury, Will Pucovski was tipped to replace him and open with Joe Burns. But Pucovski’s participation is currently under threat as the 22-year-old coped a nasty blow on his helmet while tackling Kartik Tyagi’s well-directed bouncer during the first warm-up game.

Commenting on Australia’s top order, Chopra said: “And let’s be fair, (David) Warner is not there and Joe Burns is also doing 50-50. Will Pucovski has also got a blow to his head and he was also going 50-50. So I feel their top order was anyway becoming a little weak. So if you get one or two wickets with the new ball, then you can expose their middle order even more.”

The battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney (January 7-11) and Brisbane (January 15-19), respectively.

(With IANS inputs)