Ahead of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, we speak with some iconic Indian players on the most anticipated battle of the season, starting with Anil Kumble, who captained the team Down Under in 2007-08
Jasprit Bumrah during India’s training session at the WACA, Perth, on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images
What are your expectations from the Indian team in the forthcoming series?
People shouldn’t look at what happened against New Zealand and disregard the Indian batting line-up. Will it be an easy win for Australia? I don’t think so. This Indian batting line-up prefers pitches where the ball comes onto them. They could have been better, but the batters will stand up. The only challenge for India is how the bowling support will be for Bumrah.
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What about Virat Kohli’s form?
Virat will hold the key again, and he should come through. He is too good a player to miss out on Australian conditions. Virat has done exceptionally well there. So, it will revolve around how he copes and his form. If he can do what he did a few years ago in Australia, India have a great chance to get the better of the Aussies. Let’s remember that the Aussies have lost two series back to back. They understand that they are under extreme pressure because India are one team that can beat Australia in Australia. It has happened twice in a row.
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Anil Kumble
So many new team members will play for the first time in Australia?
A couple of matches before the first Test was critical. I’m surprised that India did not opt for a practice game. India have some time before the first Test starts, but I prefer a couple of matches to get your groove in.
How crucial is Jasprit Bumrah in the line-up? And a word on Prasidh Krishna...
Bumrah is the most critical player in this Indian squad. No two ways about that! He is required for India to win the series. He needs to remain fit and ensure that he gets the support from the other end. India will undoubtedly miss Mohammed Shami. Bumrah and Shami together would have been lethal because of their experience.
How about the other speedsters?
Akash Deep has done well in terms of opportunities that he’s had. Mohammed Siraj has been slightly off in terms of form and wickets. It happens. Prasidh will be a good guy at the other end because he has the height and the bounce, and he has a different sort of length as well. He should be in the starting line-up because he will bring in that natural variation of the bowler. Akash Deep is skiddy. Siraj hits the deck, but Prasidh brings in a slightly different perspective — being tall, he hits the deck and gets a bit of bounce.
What are the challenges of bowling on Australian pitches?
You need to get the pace right. I realised that the pace at which one has to bowl as a spinner needs to be precise. I had to rely on the bounce. Adjusting to the Kookaburra ball takes time.
Why is it so challenging to bowl with the Kookaburra ball?
Because the seam is not prominent. You don't get the pronounced seam that you get in the SG ball or, for that matter, Dukes to an extent. We hardly played with a red Kookaburra ball. The only time you would play was in South Africa or Australia; those series were all once in four years. The white Kookaburra ball had a slightly more pronounced seam. And in white-ball cricket, I invariably bowled in the Powerplay. I was the guy who would sometimes bowl in the first five or six over. So, I like to bowl with a pronounced seam when the ball is hard and gets soft.
How tough was the 2007-08 series when you were the captain and emerged as a statesman for how you handled the situation in the Sydney Test?
We managed to fight back the decision (banning Harbhajan Singh for three matches). For me, the 2003-04 tour was where we had a great chance to win the series, but Australia drew the Test match in Sydney, and the result was one-all. We wanted to win the series when we travelled back in 2007-08.
It was a four-Test series. We barely had any time to acclimatise before the first Test. We played a Test match in Bangalore against Pakistan two weeks before the Boxing Day Test. There was a three-day practice match in Melbourne, but unfortunately, it got washed out, so we hardly had any practice sessions before entering Melbourne to play on Boxing Day. We lost the Test match in four days.
Sydney was a nightmare for India…
In Sydney, we were in a very commanding position. And, of course, everyone saw the kind of errors that happened on the field. It happens. That's part and parcel of the game, but unfortunately, an incident sparked a major controversy. It reached a stage where it became challenging. As a captain, you have to make cricketing decisions, But here, you were faced with something that went beyond the playing field. In that sense, it was challenging for me, but that is where you know your teammates and the kind of leadership you have in your team certainly comes through. I had some wise teammates within my group who I could lean on, and I thought we handled it well in terms of the way the whole thing panned out. Yeah, of course, there was solid backing and support from the BCCI, much needed in that situation. It can be stressful. It gets to you.
Winning the next Test at Perth must have been so gratifying…
The icing on the cake was winning at Perth because we felt that the Sydney Test was taken away from us. Certain things didn't go as planned on the field; certain decisions went against us. We were in a situation where we could have won the Test match. Then suddenly, Australia came back, and we had an opportunity to take the Test. It was panning out well. Then again, a couple of decisions went against us, and suddenly, in the last five minutes, you wouldn't even think that a part-time bowler would come in and pick up three wickets and then win the game. We had just about five minutes to survive, and unfortunately, that didn't happen. Certain things were beyond our control in the second Test, which we could have easily won.
Your memories of the Perth win?
Only a few teams have gone and won a Test match at Perth. I am proud of that performance, and I'm happy that it gave the confidence that whatever situations one goes through or the team goes through, the team has the capacity and the capability to bounce back. I was also proud of the team and how they fought and got that result.
What was the experience of facing the match referee?
I faced the match referee more when I was captain than a player. I never faced the match referee when I was a player. But I was there meeting the match referee after every game as a captain.
Which Test win was sweeter? Adelaide in 2003 or Perth in 2008?
Both were sweet, but considering the circumstances in which we reached Perth, it probably ranks amongst some of the best wins I was involved in. At Adelaide, we came from behind to win the Test match, which was fantastic. On day one, they were 400 for five or something. We were 80 for four and from there, winning the Test match was something special. Only a few teams have gone to Perth and won against an outstanding Australia.
How do you look at cricket in Australia?
Undoubtedly challenging. The stadiums are excellent — one venue to the other, beautiful grounds — and you generally get a full house in most venues. The competition is perfect.
How do you rate the pitches in Australia?
The pitches are true. When I played, there was little help for the spinner. Although Australia had Shane Warne and Stuart McGill, there wouldn’t be any turn on the surface. If you played well, you got runs. If you bowled well, you picked up wickets.
41
No. of wickets claimed by Jasprit Bumrah in nine Tests this year
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