Ravi Shastri believes Jasprit Bumrah has single-handedly kept India alive in the Border Gavaskar Trophy and India’s big guns will finally fire in Melbourne and Sydney and thinks Australia ‘have a problem on their hands’.
Speaking at the ICC Review, Shastri said India’s fight to avoid the follow-on in Adelaide will give the team a big boost as the series heads to Melbourne. The celebration in the dressing room when Akash Deep cut the ball for four took many by surprise, but the psychological boost of avoiding defeat in Adelaide will motivate India, according to the former Indian head coach.
“It will lift the Indian team. And for me, the series is on a level peg now and India might be calling the shots. Huge. They will give anything for a 1-1 result. First Test in Perth, second Test day-nighter in Adelaide and then third Test in Brisbane. Any foreign team, you know, will settle for a 1-1 score because come Melbourne, come Sydney, I think India will be strong.
“Jasprit Bumrah has single-handedly held them in this series. If the big boys step up, and step up to the plate, which I get a gut feeling they will, then Australia have a problem on their hands. Yes, they’re out of jail but not on bail. They’re free birds in Melbourne. They can do whatever they want and attack Australia on Boxing Day,’ he concluded.
The fourth Test between India and Australia will begin on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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