Australian batsman Travis Head believes Jasprit Bumrah will go down in history as “one of the greatest fast bowlers to have played the game” and said he will proudly tell his grandchildren about the formidable challenge of facing the Indian pace maestro. Bumrah cemented his status as the world's best bowler with a stunning performance in the opening Test in Perth, which India won by 295 runs. “Jasprit will go down as probably one of the best fast bowlers to play the game. I think we're discovering that at the moment – how challenging he can be, and it's fun to play against that,” Head told Monday reporters. .
“It'll be fun to go back and look at your career and tell the grandkids you faced him. So not a bad run of playing with him. Hopefully I'll see it a few more times, but he's just as challenging.” he added.
Bumrah, who captained the visiting side, led from the front with a match haul of 8/72, including several crucial wickets, demonstrating his exceptional form. His stellar performance was a testament to his remarkable consistency this year.
Earlier this year, he was named Player of the Series in the T20 World Cup, where he played a key role in India's title-winning campaign.
Head was the only Australian batsman to reach a fifty in Perth while the top players including Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne struggled, but the explosive middle-order batsman is confident his teammates will not approach him for tips.
“They don't come to me for batting tips, that's for sure. Everyone deals with it in different ways. We'll have a chat over the next three or four days.
“(Bumrah) is so unique, and that applies to all bowlers really. Every batter picks up different signals and deals with them in a different way.” The Australian team reconvened on Monday after a short break.
The two sides will now play a pink-ball Test in Adelaide from Friday at the same venue where India were all out for 36 on their previous visit in 2020.
Reflecting on that match, Head said: “I remember it was a quick test so it was good. We got to enjoy all the bits of Adelaide afterwards.
“It will be fun to do that again. I don't know if we can watch it again. It won't take long to watch it. I don't think that will happen this week.” While India played a pink-ball match against the Prime Ministers' XI during the day this weekend, Australia last played a pink-ball Test in January.
“It's been a long time since we played one (pink ball), India had another look at it last night. Everyone is well experienced enough, especially that team too, the one at your international level.
'I think you can get used to things quite quickly. I don't think it will take long for them to be prepared, and so are we.”
No division within the team
Head claimed there is no “rift” between Australia's struggling batting and the bowling unit. A possible rift within the team was suggested following a comment from Josh Hazlewood during the first test.
“We have high expectations for both sides (batting and bowling) and it is a very individualized sport,” Head said.
“So batsmen, we want to hold our own – we know how good our bowlers have been for us in the past and they have gotten us out of trouble a lot. As a batting group we know that if we get enough runs on the board, we have we put ourselves in a great position.
“As a hitter, I try to take a lot of pride in what I do, and knowing that if I can put it down for the big boys, they can put it down for us, so there's definitely no division,” Head said. said.
Australia has dealt with the setbacks well
Head backed the Australians to bounce back from their horror show in Perth.
“This team has handled adversity well. With the small numbers we have had over the last three or four years, we have played well.
“We had some challenging times and some challenging tests last year. We didn't have a very good week. That's fine. But we still have four chances to do it, we will continue like we are doing, like what we have the have done in recent years.
“Over the last few years there have been a lot of teams who lost the first Test or slumped in the series and came back and played really well.”
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