India are set to take the field on November 22 with Jasprit Bumrah leading them against defending World Test Championship (WTC) champions Australia. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Bumrah will lead the side in red-ball cricket after two years. While the team will be without two promiment top-order batter, pace-bowling spearhead Bumrah said 'self-belief' will matter when they go up against Pat Cummins' brigade on a bouncy Perth track.
"Self-belief matters the most in any condition. That is what we are banking on and that is the conversation we are having in our team. When you focus on yourself and focus on your preparation, then that puts you in a great position and everything else will take care of itself," Bumrah said while speaking to 7Cricket on November 19.
Head, Starc laud Bumrah
Meanwhile, Bumrah was praised by opposition players Mitchell Starc and Travis Head. Starc called him the best across formats.
"The execution skill of Jasprit Bumrah at the moment is probably the best across all formats," Starc said while speaking to Triple M Cricket.
Australia's fiery batter head who has a good record against India said that he is India's biggest player who is always a step ahead.
"You try to feel like you're one step ahead, but it always feels like he's that next step. Any format of the game, he's incredible. In big moments you want big players, and I think he's their biggest. You've got your work cut out as a batter," Head was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket.
Bumrah's record in Australia
So far, Bumrah has played seven Tests in Australia. He has 32 wickets at an average of 21.25 including a six-wicket haul.
Feats Bumrah can achieve in Australia
Bumrah is expected to surpass former England pacer Stuart Broad on the list of highest wicket-takers in WTC history. Bumrah has 124 wickets from 30 Tests. He needs 11 more wickets to leave Broad behind. In addition, he needs five more wickets to become third Indian bowler to complete 50 wickets in the current WTC cycle.
