MUMBAI: Once you are in Australia, the focus automatically shifts to fast bowling. It’s a place where if a team can’t meet fire with fire, they will be sitting ducks. With pace and bounce on offer, the hosts will simply unleash their battery of speedsters and batter the opposition into submission.

But the game changes if the visiting side possesses a matching pace arsenal to hit back and make it as difficult for the home batters.

In their intra-squad match simulation and nets at Perth’s historic WACA Ground, India’s players would have got an early taste of the conditions they will get in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series starting on Friday. The batters were on tenterhooks, taking blows and edging behind, while the pacers relished the chance to bowl.

While one can expect the visiting batters to fight it out with skill, enterprise and guts, for a good show a strong performance by the fast bowlers is the key. India need only to look back at the 2008 WACA Test. It was the scene of one of the finest spells by an Indian fast bowler when Ishant Sharma gave Ricky Ponting a thorough examination to set the tone for a famous victory.

On the last two tours in 2018-19 and 2020-21, Jasprit Bumrah led the attack admirably, with good support from Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, playing a key role in India’s back-to-back series triumphs.

This time the conditions are expected to be even more pace-friendly. Perth’s Optus Stadium (pace and bounce), the Adelaide Oval (Day/Night pink ball game), Gabba (pace and bounce) and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (bounce and grassy) are all expected to help the pace tribe. The Sydney Cricket Ground is the only venue where spin will come to the fore. Earlier, teams from the subcontinent felt at home in Adelaide too, but in a pink-ball Test the pacers become deadly, especially in the twilight phase. It’s the scene of India’s 36 all out on the last tour.

The onus thus is on Bumrah and Co to make it count. For the connoisseurs of fast bowling, the first Test is the one to watch. As per reports, a spicy pitch awaits India at the Opus Stadium, which contains the same local clay and grass species as the WACA.

Two fast bowlers will lead their teams and the attacks. With skipper Rohit Sharma on paternity leave, Bumrah will lead India and will be up against Pat Cummins’ Australia.

On the last two tours Bumrah had turned India’s fortunes with telling blows, taking 21 wickets in 2018-19 and 13 wickets in three Tests in 2020-21.

Cummins though has galvanised his troops as captain. He will lead a ferocious fast bowling unit that includes Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Their height too is a big advantage, which will help extract extra bounce to go with their skill and experience.

India coach Gautam Gambhir is banking on the variety in the attack. Gambhir said before leaving for Australia: “We have quality, we have two bowlers who can hit the deck hard, we have Prasidh (Krishna) who is tall, Harshit (Rana) is tall, we have got Akash Deep, Bumrah, Siraj, all have got different skill sets and that is something which makes our fast bowling attack really, really potent. Given the opportunity, these guys will do the job.”

For India to have a good series, Bumrah must be at his best. The team will look up to him for wickets and inspiration. The Australians know the threat he poses.

“When you first face him, it’s just his action. It’s a different, bizarre kind of action as his release point is very different than other bowlers. It’s just a bit further up. So, a lot of guys release the ball from near the popping crease. (Against Bumrah) it feels like he gets a bit further out just with his front braced leg and pushes the ball out. So, it feels like it comes out and then gets there a lot quicker than you expect. Once you get used to the action, it’s fine,” Australia opener Usman Khawaja told Fox Cricket.

The strategy against Bumrah will be to tire him out. Hence, for Bumrah to be effective, he will need solid support to build pressure, or else the batters will play him out and attack from the other end. India will rely on Siraj to be at his best and repeat the performances of his debut series, 2020-21. The Hyderabad pacer was not at his best in the home Tests this year, but his bowling is suited to the Australian conditions. With his skiddy bowling style, his pace can be deceptive and he has the knack of generating awkward bounce. He played a big role in the last series win by stepping up in the injured Bumrah’s absence, claiming a five-wicket haul in the second innings at Brisbane and finishing with 13 wickets in three Tests.

Of India’s six pacers, including all-rounder Nitish Reddy, four have not played a Test in Australia. Hitting the right length is the key, which is hitting top of off-stump. One can’t get carried away by the bounce.

Akash Deep can be a surprise weapon because of the length he bowls, always looking to take wickets. Moving the ball at a fuller length can be effective. Young Harshit Rana has the potential with his ability to move the ball and extract bounce using his height.

Prasidh Krishna has been the most impressive bowler in the India A matches. His accuracy and bounce at good pace are ideal for Australian conditions. He took 10 wickets at 17.30, including 4/50 in the first innings in the MCG game.

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