Ahead of the highly anticipated five-match Test series between India and Australia, Pakistan’s interim head coach Jason Gillespie has drawn comparisons between star pacers Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah. Gillespie, a former Australia pacer, emphasized the similarities in their relentless approach and ability to create wickets when others struggle.
Gillespie highlighted the relentless nature of Cummins and Bumrah, who consistently attack batters with challenging lines and lengths. He praised their ability to ask questions of batsmen’s technique and force them into making mistakes.
“Their major strength is they are pretty relentless in attacking the batters,” Gillespie said. “They have a good pace, bowl challenging lines and lengths. They are always asking questions about batsmen’s technique. They are always making sure that the batsman has to make good decisions or they will get themselves out.”
Gillespie also acknowledged the unique ability of Cummins and Bumrah to produce unplayable deliveries, whether through late swing, extra pace, or unpredictable movement off the surface. He described their knack for creating wickets out of seemingly nothing as a rare and valuable asset.
“They just have a knack for creating a wicket when there doesn’t seem to be a wicket,” Gillespie said. “They just create opportunities seemingly out of nowhere.”
With India missing the services of injured pacer Mohammed Shami, Gillespie believes Bumrah holds the key for the visitors. He praised Bumrah’s importance in the current Indian Test set-up and highlighted his ability to lead the bowling attack.
“Mohammed Siraj is a nice bowler, he bowled some pretty good spells the last time he was here,” Gillespie said. “But I still think the key bowler for India is Bumrah.”
Gillespie also commented on the venue for the series opener in Perth, describing it as a fast and bouncy track that will challenge batters early on but play well as the match progresses.
