Veteran cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara reflected on India’s bowling weakness at the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series and said that they have to take 20 wickets, reported Star Sports. The series is currently tied at 1-1 after India secured a draw in the third Test in Brisbane. The Boxing Day Test will kick off on December 26 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Jasprit Bumrah is the only India pacer who has shined in the ongoing BGT series. Bumrah is currently the highest wicket-taker in the series with 21 wickets at an average of 10.90. He has two fifers and one four-wicket haul in this series after the conclusion of the first three matches.
Speaking exclusively to Star Sports, Pujara said that the Indian bowling attack is looking a little weak at the ongoing BGT series.
“My biggest question and the reason for a little bit of concern is that the Indian bowling is looking a little weak. Batting is a little better, like the top five didn’t do well, but the middle order and lower middle order, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitesh, and even tail enders, Bumrah and Akash Deep contributed with the bat,” Pujara was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying.
He added that the three seamers are very good but not getting enough support from the other two bowlers.
“Now, there is a weakness in the bowling, so what will you feed the team? That is the biggest question, because you can’t drop Nitish, you can’t drop Jadeja, so what will be the team combination? Ashwin has taken retirement, so two spinners, I don’t think they will play in Melbourne. So, how will you strengthen the bowling? Because the three seamers are very good, but their supporting role, fourth and fifth seamer, Nitish Kumar is the fourth seamer and Ravindra Jadeja is the fifth bowler,” he added.
He further added that the visitors need to bag 20 wickets in a game to win the match.
“If you add both of them together, the bowling is not that good. We will have to think about that, because if you want to win a test match, then you have to take 20 wickets, and the ability to take 20 wickets is not that good, the supporting role of the other bowlers is not good, so we will have to improve that as soon as possible, and how that will be, I don’t know, but that is a big question,” he further added.
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
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