Not long back Perth’s Waca ground was dubbed the “deck of death”. Scary tales about the once-fastest pitch in world cricket terrified batters.
The wicket was a reminder of the challenges a typical Australian surface offered: Baked under a cruel sun, it could produce alarming bounce and carry to torment even the best in the business.
It needed not just skill and the right technique to defend but loads of courage. Batters hopped and jumped, took blows on their chest and arms as the fast bowlers softened them up before delivering the knockout punch. It not only exposed a batter’s limitations but also cautioned the bowlers not to get carried away.
The conditions at the Optus Stadium never resembled the fiery Waca but the Indians nevertheless lost the inaugural Test at the new venue on their 2018-19 tour, Virat Kohli’s masterly 123 notwithstanding.
The other highlight of that Test was Mohammed Shami’s six-wicket haul in the second innings, though Jasprit Bumrah claimed five in the match. There will be no Shami this time and Bumrah will be the stand-in captain in Rohit Sharma’s absence.
Hitting the right length will be crucial as will be the ability to terrorise batters. If India’s performance can leave Australia bruised and battered in the opener, they will get a headstart going into the five-match series.
Leading an inexperienced attack, barring Mohammed Siraj, will be tough for Bumrah but if he can instill the fear element in the minds of the Australians, it could work to the team’s advantage.
There’s never a better sight than a fast bowler in full flow and Mitchell Johnson was perhaps the last to serve a reminder of just how psychologically scarring this dying art could be.
Bumrah has the pace and the intent, he only needs to exhibit a bold approach against a vulnerable Australian batting. It’s not just always about breaking the speed gun but “hitting the top of off” or “putting it in the right areas”.
Multiple highly evolved plans had confounded the Australians during their last series in 2020-21. They shut the home team out with the leg side trap which had at least five men patrolling the area.
“They came out with a heavy leg-side field and bowled very straight and didn’t give us any scoring options on the offside,” Marnus Labuschagne lamented.
The circumstances will be very different this time. Bumrah will have to shoulder the additional responsibility of captaincy in Perth. He will also have a new core group in place with Gautam Gambhir at the helm.
He can seek inspiration from Pat Cummins who has dismissed initial concerns that a bowler would be weighed down by captaincy.
Bumrah had been fairly impressive in his lone opportunity in Birmingham two years ago till Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow successfully chased down the 378-run target.
A solitary occasion is hardly the ideal platform to test one’s qualities. Ajinkya Rahane orchestrating a remarkable turnaround from the 36 all out during the last tour is the perfect example.
The hard decks will suit Bumrah and his unorthodox action always makes it tough for the batters. Not surprisingly he has prospered on the surfaces in Australia.
The lead-up to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener has been encouraging with the Indians getting the opportunity to prepare at the absorbing Waca. It provided them to draw up a plan for the thunderbolts and go into the Test with confidence and the strut of a side who are expected to win.
They are a team who have the canons to wage a battle. Siraj’s current form may not be encouraging, but in the company of Bumrah he can be lethal. The promise and skill of Akash Deep or Nitish Kumar Reddy, the likely debutant, will be on display in helpful conditions. Harshit Rana too remains in the mix.
Nothing can match the thrill of a fast bowler charging in: Harold Larwood and bodyline, Frank Tyson, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, the West Indies quartet, Allan Donald, Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee.
Perth is full of such motivating tales which will inspire a well-prepared Bumrah to unleash his missiles.
For the spectators, it will be thrilling in what is the theatre of dreams. Words will be exchanged, there will be jeering and cackling laughs and Test cricket will jump back to life.
