Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia skipper Pat Cummins has acknowledged the threat posed by India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Team India are due to travel to Australia for five Test matches. The marquee series is slated to get underway on November 22 in Perth.
Bumrah has been a chief architect of India’s last two Test series wins Down Under. He has played seven Tests on Australian soil, claiming 32 scalps at a remarkable average of 21.25, including one five-wicket haul.
"I'm a big fan of Bumrah. I think he's a fantastic bowler. Hopefully, if we can keep him quiet, that is going to go a long way to winning the series," Cummins said on the Star Sports Press Room.
"Alongside him, he has got some other guys who haven't played a lot over here in Australia (that) we haven't seen a lot of. We'll see how it goes," he added.
India have held onto the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy since March 2017. However, Cummins expressed confidence in his team’s ability to turn things around, having defeated India in the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup finals last year.
"The last two series were a long time ago. We have got over it," the Australian captain stated.
"I've never played alongside him (Rohit Sharma), so I don't know him super well. But it has looked like they (Indian team) are pretty organised, pretty well-planned.
"Fortunately, over the last few years, we've had some success in the World Test Championship final and (in) a different format for the ODI World Cup. We'll be trying to lean on those memories. As I'm sure they're trying to remember some of the previous series over here as well," he said.
The team that wins the Border-Gavaskar Trophy could be well poised to earn a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s next year. India are currently heading the points table, followed by the defending champions Australia.
After the first Test in Perth, the action will 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).
