Perth [Australia], November 21 : Ahead of the first Test against Australia of the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth, Indian skipper Jasprit Bumrah lauded the youngsters in the team for their self-belief and confidence, saying that nothing is more heartening then the fact that they want to do the tough job for the team.
The first Test between India and Australia will kickstart on Friday at Perth's Optus Stadium. Both sides, placed at the top two spots of the ICC World Test Championship points tally will be aiming to make their chances for the final stronger. While India seeks to bounce back after a rare, but humiliating home setback against New Zealand, Australia would be aiming to avoid a hat-trick of series losses to India at home.
Speaking during the pre-match presser, Bumrah said about the youngsters in the team, particularly all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, "Quite positive. They have a lot of self-belief and confidence. These youngsters are not confused or overawed. As a leader, you feel confident that they want to do the tough job and nothing is more heartening than this."
Talking about the "spicy" wicket at Optus Stadium in Perth, Bumrah said, "We have to focus on what we have here. We have bowlers for a spicy wicket, who can make an impact in any situation. We do not focus on the negatives. If you perform well here, your level of cricket will go up."
After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18. The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.