Ravi Shastri believes that Jasprit Bumrah has single-handedly managed to keep India alive in the Border Gavaskar Trophy and thinks that India’s big guns will finally start firing in Melbourne and Sydney and that Australia have a ‘problem on their hands’.
Speaking to the ICC Review, Shastri said that the fight that India showed in Adelaide to avoid the follow on would be a big boost to the team as the series headed to Melbourne. Celebrations in the dressing room when Akash Deep cut the ball for four surprised many, but the psychological boost of avoiding a defeat at Adelaide would spur India, according to the former Indian head coach.
“It’ll lift the Indian team. And for me, the series is on a level peg now and India might just be calling the shots. Massive. They would give anything for a 1-1 result. The first Test was in Perth, the second Test a day-nighter in Adelaide, and then the third Test was in Brisbane. Any overseas team will, you know, settle for a 1-1 score because come Melbourne, come Sydney, I think India will be powerful.”
“They’ve been kept in this series single-handedly by Jasprit Bumrah. If the big boys wake up, and step up to the plate, which I just get the gut feeling they will, then Australia have a problem on their hands. Yeah, they got out of jail but they are not on bail. They are free birds in Melbourne. They can do what they want and come and attack Australia on Boxing Day,” he concluded.
The fourth Test between India and Australia begins on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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