The Indian pace attack has shown its ability to rip through batting line-ups, but its performance against Australia will be followed with a lot of intrigue, said former Australia superstar Adam Gilchrist.
The current Indian pace attack is being considered as the best India have ever had as a group and Gilchrist feels that they have shown tremendous potential.
“Hard to tell (how they will fare) as they haven’t been here as a group and we have to find that out. That’s going to be an intriguing part of the series… Because the Australian pace bowling unit has proven they are exceptional in Australian conditions,” Gilchrist told ESPNcricinfo.
“But I am really excited from an Indian point of view about that pace bowling unit and they have shown glimpses in England about their ability to rip through batting line-ups. They are fit, strong, aggressive young men, so they have all the virtues to take on Australia in Australia,” Gilchrist stated.
Gilchrist, one of the greatest to have ever graced the game, didn’t agree that this series would be only about Virat Kohli’s duel with Mitchell Starc.
“I don’t see this as a Starc vs Virat challenge really. I think Pat Cummins is outstanding and Josh Hazlewood is almost McGrath like with his methodic, repetitious bowling. So there are three guys there and there are a couple in the wings. They are high quality fast bowlers,” he said.
“So yeah, I don’t intend to single out Virat, although clearly he is the best player at the moment, so India will look to him to score heavily, but they are all going to have their challenges which is also true for the Australian batting line-up.”
Former Australia pacer Damien Fleming, meanwhile, termed Jasprit Bumrah as the “X-factor” in the Indian bowling line-up.
“He (Bumrah) is the real X-factor — 28 wickets in six Tests. I have seen him in the IPL. He has that unorthodox action, a stuttery run-up, a weird run-up but I think for batsmen you don’t get a real good sight of the ball, but he has got pace and bounce and has a great yorker that I think he will utilise particularly against the tail,” Fleming was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.
“That’s the factor they probably haven’t had before… A pace battery that could unsettle tails. Just with that weird action, I have noticed he can swing the ball away from right-handers now. He has actually up-skilled himself as well.”
