No baggage, have self-belief: Stand-in skipper Bumrah’s key takeaways before BGT series opener

PERTH: Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah affirmed that his side is not carrying “any baggage” from India of their historic whitewash against New Zealand and offered surety about the team being well equipped for the challenging conditions and series ahead of them.

India didn’t land in Perth in the most ideal form, which was the need of the hour. While many expected India to march into Perth with a red-hot streak, the Test giants are now tottering for momentum.

The 30-year-old speedster ensured India had their learning from the first home Test series whitewash in 24 years and reminded that the conditions on play in both series are different.

“When you win, you start from zero, but when you lose, then you also start from zero. We are not carrying any baggage from India. Yes, we have our learnings from the New Zealand series, but those were different conditions, and our results here have been different”, Bumrah told reporters before the opening Test on Friday.

#WATCH | Indian Skipper Jasprit Bumrah and Australian Skipper Pat Cummins pose with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, for a photograph in Perth, Australia. India’s Test Vice-Captain Jasprit Bumrah is stepping in for Rohit Sharma in his absence.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins… pic.twitter.com/nlkdfUfRbq

— ANI (@ANI) November 21, 2024

Bumrah will walk in Perth for the toss in the absence of captain Rohit Sharma, who decided to opt out of the series opener due to personal reasons. Despite him not being physically present on the field, Rohit was taken into the loop when a call on captaincy was taken.

In the absence of Rohit and a call on Shubman Gill, yet to be taken after he injured his thumb, the playing XI of the visitors remains a talking point for many.

A day before the opening Test, Bumrah revealed that the playing XI had been finalised but remained tight-lipped and didn’t give away much about it.

“I spoke to Rohit. When I came here, the coach and management gave me the clarity that I would be leading. We have finalised it, you will come to know tomorrow (playing eleven). We are confident in each individual who is going to play,” Bumrah noted.

With the Perth Test strip expected to remain true to its nature, offering bounce and pace, batters would need to up their ante to put runs on the board. India had ample time to bolster preparations for churning out ways to negate the threat of short-length deliveries at the WACA.

During the intra-squad match simulation, drills were specifically designed to make Indian batters prepare for such a threat. “We got that time in WACA. A lot of these guys are coming for the first time. Kookaburra ball is different. There is a lot more bounce here than expected. All of these things, we got time for it,” Bumrah remarked.

The tour will be a defining moment for many players. With new faces featuring Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana being integrated into the mix, the transition phase has truly taken over Indian cricket. Bumrah had a simple message before the series opened. Having self-belief in the high-stakes series is the only thing that matters.

“Message I would give them, I believe in self-belief. Everyone has played a lot of cricket. If on a given day you believe you are good enough, you can make an impact, no matter how many Tests you have played. It depends on what is going on inside you,” Bumrah said.

“When I came here for the first time, it was my second tour, and I just believed in myself. I wanted to make an impact. I looked at myself. This is the message I pass. Nobody is born with experience. You earn it by playing. If you got self-belief, that is all that matters,” he added. (ANI)