Jasprit Bumrah is a world-class bowler. A self-taught superstar who has defied orthodoxy to rank alongside Australia’s established trio as the best of the best quicks in cricket’s global landscape.

He will undoubtedly be the key to India’s chances of taking enough wickets Down Under to claim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a fifth straight time. 

But while his record in Australia is superb, there is reason for optimism that the local batters can withstand his new-ball onslaught to put the pressure on India’s support cast to make breakthroughs.

Bumrah has taken 32 wickets in just seven Tests from his two tours of Australia but his record against the main batters who he will face this time around is not that flash. 

He has failed to dismiss Usman Khawaja or Marnus Labuschagne in the four Tests they have gone head to head, has claimed Steve Smith’s wicket once in three matches with Travis Head (twice in six matches) the only top-six batter who he has sent back to the pavilion on multiple occasions. 

Mitchell Marsh went cheaply to Ravindra Jadeja in both innings of the only Test he’s played against Bumrah while Australia’s other specialist batter is a debutant in new opener Nathan McSweeney. 

That’s pretty much where the good news ends for Australia when it comes to Bumrah. 

Despite six months out due to back surgery in 2023, his returns over the past few years have been phenomenal. 

In the 15 Tests he’s played in the past three years he has claimed 67 wickets at 17.77, striking every 35.2 deliveries with four five-wicket hauls.

Pat Cummins in the same timeframe has 95 scalps from 26 Tests at 25.02, Josh Hazlewood has 58 from 14 at 21.82 and Mitchell Starc’s record is 89 from 25 at 29.5.

Bumrah has been around for the best part of seven years now but batters are still deceived by his unique straight-arm action before release. 

He is able to hurry them into strokes or get through their defences before they know it even though he is not the fastest bowler going around.

This bears out in his stats in Australia with more than half (18) of his 32 dismissals coming via LBW verdicts or bowling players out.

Khawaja explained to Fox Cricket during the week that picking up the ball from Bumrah is extremely hard.

“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,” the veteran opener said. 

“It feels like it comes out and then gets there a lot quicker than you expect it. It’s just once you get used to the action, it’s fine. I played against him a lot. Not to say that he can’t give me out first ball. I mean anyone can. 

“But it’s one of those things where once the first time you face him, it’s very awkward and then when you get a little bit of rhythm it gets better. But he’s still a class bowler.”

Another factor in Australia’s favour in their battle to weather the Bumrah storm is that his long-term pace partner Mohammed Shami was ruled out of this tour with a groin injury. 

Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Mohammed Siraj is likely to be promoted to open the bowling alongside Bumrah with two-Test seamer Prasidh Krishna and uncapped Harshit Rana in contention for the third spot with Jadeja likely to be the only spinner, at least for the first Test on Perth’s seam-friendly Optus Stadium surface.

Jadeja has been Australia’s nemesis for more than a decade after starring in the 2013 home series win and he’s one of the few overseas spinners who has excelled Down Under.

The left-armer has picked up 14 wickets in four matches at 21.78, claiming at least one dismissal in each of the six innings in which he has been used.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin falls into the other much more common category of world-class spinners who have never been able to master Australian conditions.

He has claimed a workmanlike 39 wickets in 10 Tests on tour in Australia with his career average of 23.95 from 105 matches almost doubling to 42.15.