Former India fast-bowler Zaheer Khan has predicted India’s bowling attack for first Test against Australia which will be played at the Adelaide Oval, starting December 6. Zaheer feels the Indian team management will opt to leave out Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the first Test as Adelaide won’t support his signature style i.e. swing bowling.
Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar form the Indian pace battery and while the first four are known to hit the deck hard, Bhuvi relies mostly on swing to trouble the opposition.
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“Bhuvneshwar will rely on swing and Australian conditions don’t really provide that. You will see good bounce and pace on the wicket,” Zaheer told Cricbuzz. “Unlike South Africa or England for that matter where you see some good sideways movement as well. Just for that reasoning, I would say that maybe for the first couple of Test matches, the Indian team will not be looking at Bhuvneshwar as first priority. The remaining four will be in contention for being a part of the playing XI.”
“The first Test match is starting in Adelaide. You expect Shami, who has been in great rhythm in England to perform. Bumrah can provide the x-factor and I hope that he plays all the four Test matches. That will be very handy. Umesh I think has been the strike bowler. You have these four bowlers and the team management would be thinking of picking three from these four,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“The first Test match is starting in Adelaide. You expect Shami, who has been in great rhythm in England to perform. Bumrah can provide the x-factor and I hope that he plays all the four Test matches. That will be very handy. Umesh I think has been the strike bowler. You have these four bowlers and the team management would be thinking of picking three from these four,” he added.
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India will look to better their record Down Under when they take on the Aussies in the four-match Test series. In their previous 11 outings, India have failed to win a single series in Australia while out of the 44 matches played between the two teams, India have managed to win just five.