Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull has revealed how Cricket Australia has tried to negate Jasprit Bumrah’s threat by scheduling three consecutive Test matches at the start of the Border-Gavaskar series. 

The first three Test matches will be played at Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane, where the pitches are expected to assist the fast bowlers. While there is a 10-day gap between the first and second Test, there is only a three-day gap between the second and third Test.

Furthermore, Bumrah will be the team’s lead pacer in the absence of Mohammed Shami, who could not get fit for the tour. Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana have been picked as the other pacers by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection.

“What Australia have done smartly is scheduling. They know that while batters are going to be key in some shape or form, but their biggest threat is Jasprit Bumrah. So they have gone with the three hardest and fastest surfaces, plus the Pink-Ball Test. They are trying to cook Bumrah,” Doull said on JioCinema.

“They will cook him in the heat of Perth, where he will have to bowl a lot of overs. Then he is going to have to go and bowl a lot of overs in that second pink-ball Test match in Adelaide. And then you’ve got to go to Brisbane where generally, first up, the seamers are quite good as well.”

Doull feels India will be forced to make a change in the last couple of Test matches to manage Bumrah’s workload.

“So we’re going to cook Bumrah in the first two, three Test matches, make sure he bowls a lot of overs. And then they’re going to have to make a change. They’re going to have to go to someone else. So I think the scheduling from Australia’s point of view has been quite smart because very rarely do they start a series in Perth,” said Doull in the same interview.

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.