Australia, it seems, are yet to recover from the shockwaves that Jasprit Bumrah sent through their dressing room in the Perth Test.

It is about to be a week since the opening encounter of the five-Test series came to an end with India, led by stand-in captain Bumrah, emerging comfortable winners. Bumrah’s opening spell in Australia’s first innings not only destroyed the home team’s batting line-up, it also made a dent into their mindset and confidence.

The Australian media is still busy explaining the phenomenon of Bumrah, diving deep into the biomechanics of the Indian’s bowling action in an attempt to decode
the best pacer in contemporary cricket.

The Sydney Morning Herald brought out such an article on Friday where current batter Steve Smith and former seamer Damien Fleming explain the Bumrah threat. While Smith said that Bumrah’s “awkward” action, especially his release point, made it all the more difficult for the batsmen to handle the Indian who is a “complete package”, Fleming simply termed Bumrah as the "Terminator" who continuously "stalks" batsmen, planning his downfall.

“From the start of his run-up, it’s just all awkward,” Smith told the Australian daily.

“The way he runs in is different to pretty much anyone else, then the last bit of his action is different. I’ve faced him a reasonable amount now, and each time you face him it takes a few balls just to get the rhythm of it in a way.”

Smith was among Bumrah’s victims during that devastating opening spell in the first innings in Perth. The ball skidded onto the experienced Australian batter, who missed the line of the incoming delivery to be trapped in front of the wicket.

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram, while speaking on Star Sports, explained how Bumrah’s release point is at least a foot closer to the batters than any other bowler making it that much difficult to pick the length. Smith said something similar.

“He (Bumrah) releases the ball closer to you than any other bowler, just the way he does it. So maybe it rushes you a bit more than you think, and it’s just an awkward action,” the 35-year-old Smith said.

“Put that together with his skill set — he swings it both ways, he can nip it off the seam, he can reverse it, got a good slower ball, a good bouncer — he’s pretty much the complete package as a bowler.”

Former pacer Fleming believes Bumrah is a “very instinct-driven bowler” and also likened him to the "Terminator” for his poaching skills.

“He’s just the Terminator, isn’t he?” Fleming said. “He knows his strengths and he’s always sniffing to find that weakness. I think he does that instinctively, and it’s not a long run-up, but I can see he’s reviewed that ball, and then he’s planning the next one.”

Fleming recalled Bumrah’s slower ball to Shaun Marsh during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy to make his point.

“There’s that famous dismissal of Shaun Marsh (at the MCG in 2018) in the over before lunch. I was commentating at the time, and I could almost pick what was going to happen, just driving him back, so his weight’s on the back foot, and then he bowls that superb slower ball and knocks him over.

“It was either going to be that slower ball or a fast yorker. So I think he is so astute, but he also now has all the skills — outswingers, inswingers, off-cutters, slower balls, excellent yorker, bouncer.

“So when you’ve got more skills, you’ve got more options. Like the Terminator, he’s always stalking the batsmen. And the batsmen know that, but they’re still unsure what’s coming. Not only does he have a wide skill set, but he executes it better than anyone in world cricket.”

India will next face Australia in the Pink-ball Test in Adelaide starting December 6.

With inputs from PTI