Onus on skipper Bumrah & Co to match fire with fire Down Under

Pace will be the key in Border Gavaskar Trophy and the Indian fast bowlers must counter the hosts' formidable new ball attack

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

MUMBAI: Once you are in Australia, the focus automatically shifts to fast bowling. It's a place where if a team can't meet fire with fire, they will be sitting ducks. With pace and bounce on offer, the hosts will simply unleash their battery of speedsters and batter the opposition into submission.

But the game changes if the visiting side possesses a matching pace arsenal to hit back and make it as difficult for the home batters.

In their intra-squad match simulation and nets at Perth's historic WACA Ground, India's players would have got an early taste of the conditions they will get in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series starting on Friday. The batters were on tenterhooks, taking blows and edging behind, while the pacers relished the chance to bowl.

While one can expect the visiting batters to fight it out with skill, enterprise and guts, for a good show a strong performance by the fast bowlers is the key. India need only to look back at the 2008 WACA Test. It was the scene of one of the finest spells by an Indian fast bowler when Ishant Sharma gave Ricky Ponting a thorough examination to set the tone for a famous victory.

On the last two tours in 2018-19 and 2020-21, Jasprit Bumrah led the attack admirably, with good support from Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, playing a key role in India's back-to-back series triumphs.