Senior players jaise Rohit Sharma ki absence aur Shubman Gill ka injury ne team ke liye mushkilein khadi kar di hain. Iske saath hi, ek inexperienced bowling line-up ke saath, jisme Jasprit Bumrah aur Mohammed Siraj ke alawa zyadatar naye chehre hain, team management ke liye ek bada test hai. Yeh sab dekhkar lagta hai ki Australia jaise strong team ke saamne India ko kaafi mehnat karni padegi.
Lekin is andhere ke beech ek chamak dikh rahi hai, aur woh hai Jasprit Bumrah ki shandaar rhythm. India ke bowling coach Morne Morkel ne khulkar Bumrah ki taareef ki hai, kehkar ki unki energy dekhkar woh “blown away” ho gaye hain. Morkel ka kehna hai ki Bumrah apne aap ko match ke liye tayyar karna jaante hain, aur unki practice sessions mein woh energy dikhi jo team ke liye ek bada boost hai. Bumrah ka yeh form yaad dilata hai unke 2018-19 Australia tour ka, jab unhone 21 wickets lekar India ko historic series jeet dilayi thi. Unki unconventional action aur pinpoint accuracy ne uss waqt Australian batsmen ko pareshan kiya tha, aur ab bhi wahi spark dikhai de raha hai. Yeh dekhkar team ke fans mein ek nayi ummeed jagti hai, ki shayad is baar bhi Bumrah apne dam par match ka rukh badal sakte hain.
Iske saath hi, Morkel ne ek naye naam par bhi roshni daali – Nitish Kumar Reddy. Yeh 21 saal ka all-rounder, jo Andhra ke liye domestic cricket khelta hai, apne versatile skills ke saath team ke liye ek nayi ummeed ban kar ubhra hai. Morkel ne Nitish ki bowling ki taareef karte hue kaha ki woh ek aisa bowler hai jo wicket-to-wicket line maintain kar sakta hai aur pace attack ko support de sakta hai. Nitish ka record dekhein toh unhone 23 first-class matches mein 56 wickets liye hain, aur IPL 2024 mein Sunrisers Hyderabad ke liye 303 runs banaye, jisme unka aggressive batting style sabka dhyan kheench raha hai. Unki yeh kabiliyat yaad dilati hai Shardul Thakur ki, jinhone 2020-21 BGT mein apne all-round performance se India ki jeet mein bada yogdaan diya tha, khaas kar Gabba Test mein apne 7 wickets aur crucial runs ke saath. Nitish ka yeh potential unhe ek aisa player banata hai jo na sirf bowling mein contribute kar sakta hai, balki lower order mein bhi runs jod sakta hai, jo Australia ke fast aur bouncy pitches par kaafi important hai.
Morkel ka Nitish par bharosa dikhata hai ki team management naye talent ko mauka dene ke liye tayyar hai. Unhone yeh bhi kaha ki Nitish ko apni bowling par aur kaam karna hoga, khaas kar consistency ke liye, lekin unki “magical deliveries” banane ki kshamata team ke liye game-changer ho sakti hai. Yeh baat ek tarah se yaad dilati hai jab Anil Kumble ne 2003-04 mein Australia ke khilaaf apne spin se ek nayi kahani likhi thi, jab koi unpar zyada bharosa nahi kar raha tha. Nitish ke liye yeh series ek aisa mauka ho sakta hai jahan woh apna naam bana sakein, khaas kar jab team ko ek reliable all-rounder ki zarurat hai.
Lekin yahan ek baat dil mein chubhti hai – kya yeh nayi aur inexperienced line-up Australia ke khilaaf wahi magic dikha payegi jo pehle ke Indian teams ne dikhaya tha? Australia ke paas Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood aur Mitchell Starc jaise world-class bowlers hain, jo apne home conditions mein aur bhi khatarnak ho jate hain. Iske saath hi, India ke batting line-up mein bhi uncertainties hain, khaas kar Shubman Gill ke injury ke baad. Yeh sab dekhkar lagta hai ki India ke liye yeh series ek kathor pariksha hogi, aur shayad Nitish aur Bumrah ke dam par hi team apne aap ko bacha payegi. Magar jab tak woh Perth ke bouncy pitch par utarte nahi, yeh kehna mushkil hai ki yeh ummeed kitni puri hogi.
