Khawaja on Bumrah: ‘Thinking about where am I scoring runs against him, not getting out’

NewsKhawaja is also wary of the threat posed by the other India quicks

Australia opener Usman Khawaja feels that Jasprit Bumrah’s unique action makes him awkward to face at first, but batting against the India fast bowler gets better once you get used to it.

“I mean, 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,” Khawaja told Fox Cricket. “It’s just a bit further up. So a lot of guys release the ball from near the popping crease. [Against Bumrah] it feels like he gets a bit further out just with his front braced leg and pushes the ball out.

“So 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.”

Khawaja feels there is a lot more in the Indian attack to worry about than just Bumrah. “Everyone talks about Jasprit, but they actually have a lot of other good bowlers,” Khawaja said. “I think [Mohammed] Siraj is a very good bowler. He’s a very good bowler to both right-handers and left-handers. When [Mohammed] Shami was fit, when he was playing those series, he was a very good bowler. He was very underrated. No one really talked about him. And then they got good spinners lining up, too, which really complements their fast bowlers.”

“So for me it’s never … I’m just not thinking about Jasprit Bumrah. You want to ask me where do you think… I’m not thinking about where he is getting me out. I’m thinking about where am I scoring runs against him. And I’m sure all good batsmen would tell you exactly the same thing because if he misses, well, then I’m coming and then if he bowls good stuff, then I’ll respect that. So that’s just Test cricket.”

The five-match series begins with the Perth Test from November 22.