2nd Test: Ponting Curiously Awaits India's Decision on Bumrah's Bowling End
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Adelaide, Dec 7 (NationPress) The former captain of Australia highlighted India's oversight in not using Jasprit Bumrah from the Bradman Stand end during the opening day of the second Test at Adelaide Oval. He mentioned it would be fascinating to observe if India adjusts Bumrah’s bowling end for the second day’s action.
Bumrah claimed the wicket of Usman Khawaja, finishing with figures of 1-13 in 11 overs. However, he lacked adequate backing from his fellow Indian pacers, who failed to target the stumps effectively and bowled a bit short, allowing Australia to advance to 86/1 in 33 overs by stumps on day one.
"I observed yesterday when the match commenced, there was discussion about the fact that they had actually trimmed a bit more grass from this wicket. What they did was scarify the surface too. Upon closer inspection, you can see some green strips running straight down the pitch.”
“Many of these deliveries are landing right on those green lines, and they are actually seaming quite a bit. A lot of these balls pitching right on the line, this particular one darts back, and fortunately for Nathan McSweeney, it seamed in too much and was indicated to be missing the leg stump. It’s actually more pronounced from this (the Bradman Stand) end.”
“If you examine the pitch, that’s where I believe India made a slight error last night by not employing Bumrah from this end. There are significantly more lines, much closer together around the off stump for a right-handed batsman. It will be intriguing to see if India has recognized that overnight.”
“I’m curious to find out if they switch ends with Bumrah this morning. What we observed with Boland and Cummins, particularly bowling from this end, the Bradman Stand end, was when the ball seamed significantly more. That poses a considerable challenge for the Australian batsmen this afternoon and is something India will analyze,” said Ponting to Channel Seven broadcasters ahead of day two’s play.
Ponting also expressed that Rohit Sharma should have opened the batting in Adelaide, rather than demoting himself to number six in the Indian batting lineup. On day one, Rohit managed only three runs off 23 balls after coming in to bat at number six, before being dismissed lbw by Scott Boland.
“I felt he should have returned to the side and opened the batting because KL Rahul has been a fringe player in this team for several years. Yes, he got an opportunity, and yes, he performed well in Perth, but that suggests to me that Rohit Sharma might spend the remainder of his career batting down the order since Rahul has performed well, and Shubman Gill looked promising in the first innings here.”
“So the only position for Rohit Sharma in the team now seems to be at number six, and that might be where he remains for the rest of his career. Who knows? I mean he’s a class player to bring back, even though his record against Australia isn’t particularly impressive. I believe he’s only scored one Test match century against Australia - the captain returning and batting in the middle was somewhat surprising, but those are decisions the captain must make.”
