Dubai, April 1 (IANS) Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has said that the Indian bowling attack has considerable “depth” and despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, is potent enough to cause problems for the Australians in the ICC World Test Championship Final in London in June.
India have reached the WTC Final for the second successive year after losing to New Zealand in the inaugural edition and will take on Australia at The Oval in London from June 7-11.
The two teams figured in the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in India recently the hosts won 2-1. But the WTC Final will be a different ball game as it will be played in seaming conditions with the Duke balls. In those conditions, Bumrah would be a bit asset.
However, in his absence, Mohammed Shami will spearhead the Indian pace attack with the likes of Mohd Siraj and Umesh Yadav.
“Very tough to replace someone like Bumrah. He has been fantastic in all three formats and is the leader of their bowling attack. But I think there is still enough depth in this Indian line-up to trouble the Australian side. Shami and Co are fantastic in these conditions,” Taylor told the ICC website.
Taylor said that bowlers like Siraj and Umesh Yadav are very good at using the Dukes ball and will relish the chance of bowling with them.
“When you consider the India attack, Siraj and Co are very good with the Duke’s ball. Umesh Yadav also bowls 140-plus. They will relish the opportunity to bowl with the Dukes ball in English conditions,” the former Black Caps star added.
The players are unlikely to have much time to prepare for the WTC Final as most of them will be involved with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Taylor said the players have gotten used to making the quick adjustments from T20 to red-ball cricket.
“That week or so that both teams have before that Test match is going to be key,” Taylor said. “Especially when you come from the T20 format into Test cricket, there is an adjustment. But players are quite used to making that adjustment quite quickly now.”
–IANS
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