Not Virat Kohli or Rishabh Pant: Ravi Shastri reveals Australia's No.1 target: 'They'll attack...'

Former India National Cricket Team head coach Ravi Shastri made a massive statement ahead of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He believes that premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be the main target for Australia National Cricket Team during the Perth Test.

India National Cricket Team and Australia National Cricket Team will be locking horns with each other in the five-match Test series. The opening game of the series between the teams will be taking place at the WACA Stadium in Perth from Friday (22nd November).

India will be captained by Jasprit Bumrah in the first Test

India National Cricket Team will be captained by Jasprit Bumrah in the first Test. The pacer will be leading the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who will be missing the first game due to family reasons. The spotlight will be on the fast bowler as he will be captaining the team for the second time.

Jasprit Bumrah, no doubt, will be key for the team in the entire series. Major bowling duties will fall on him and he would be keen to make an impact. With him leading the team, the fast bowler would be hoping to lead from the front and help his team win the game.

The pressure will be on Bumrah—there's no question about that - Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri pointed out that Australia prefer to attract the leadership, and they will be trying to bring down the confidence of the Indian captain, Jasprit Bumrah. He claimed that fast bowlers will be under pressure, but he, being mature, can tackle the challenge well. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

"The Aussies prefer to attack the leadership. Whoever the captain is, they train their guns and their spotlights on the captain. If they can bring down the confidence of the captain, they feel that the confidence of the team comes down.

"The pressure will be on Bumrah—there's no question about that. Any captain coming here will feel the heat, and Bumrah will be the same. But he's a very mature cricketer. He's a very competitive cricketer. Deep down, let's not forget, he's the best fast bowler in the world at the moment."

Aussies know what they're up against - Ravi Shastri on Jasprit Bumrah

Ravi Shastri said that the Australia National Cricket Team will know what they will be up against, and both the the hosts and Jasprit Bumrah will come hard at each other. He advised the fast bowler to not over-try because of the pressure of being captain. He explained:

"So, the Aussies know what they're up against. They might want to come after him, but they know he'll come after them as well. The important thing is, if he's calm and gets support from his other bowlers, I think he'll be fine. He'll be fine. But there's no question the pressure is on him.

"What I want to see from the outside is that he doesn't over-try because of the pressure of being captain and just sticks to his strengths and bowls as if he's an individual player playing in that team. It's easier said than done, but I think he's mature enough to do it. Yeah, that's something he said in the press conference too,” he concluded.

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