Australia’s young batter Nathan McSweeney has reflected on the immense challenge of facing India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
McSweeney, who was included in Australia’s Test squad and tasked with opening the innings alongside Usman Khawaja following David Warner’s retirement, struggled to make an impact in the series.
He managed just 72 runs in six innings at an average of 14.40, finding himself at the receiving end of Bumrah’s relentless bowling. The Indian pacer dismissed him four times in five innings, leading to McSweeney being dropped for the final two matches.
Speaking to an Australian media outlet, the right-hander admitted that facing Bumrah was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
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“Yeah, tough work is probably an understatement. He [Jasprit Bumrah] is an incredible bowler. I was probably naïve going into it, never faced him before and (thinking) he’ll be fine,” Nathan McSweeney said.
“But he’s an incredible bowler with great skill and a relentless ability to pitch the ball exactly where you don’t want as a batter.”
Despite his struggles, the 25-year-old found some solace in the fact that he wasn’t alone in his battle against Bumrah, who troubled even the most experienced Australian batters.
“It was a very tough challenge, but it also gave me hope that no one had great success against him. Everyone was trying to tackle him at the same time, and no one was playing him with ease, which gave me a little bit of confidence,” he added.
It is worth noting that Australia bounced back from a 1-0 deficit to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1, securing a historic comeback victory after losing the opening Test.
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