Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah insisted on Thursday that India were carrying no baggage from their Test whitewash by New Zealand and warned Australia that star batsman Virat Kohli was looking “ominous”.
India head into the first of five Tests against Australia on Friday in Perth on the back of their first home series loss in 12 years.
But speedster Bumrah, who will captain the side after Rohit Sharma stayed home following the birth of his second child, said they were only looking forward.
“The beauty about cricket is even if you win, you start from zero, and even if you lose you start from zero,” he told reporters. “So that’s how I look at the game.
“Obviously, yes, we were disappointed and we were down that we had a tough series (against New Zealand).
“But we are not carrying any baggages. We come with a fresh mindset, different opposition and you learn from the changes that have happened in our team.”
With Rohit out, KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran are in line to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while there are doubts over number three Shubman Gill who has hurt his thumb.
Their bowling line-up is also unclear. Bumrah said India had settled on who would partner him in the attack, but he would wait until the toss to reveal all.
Kohli is certain to play, but will pad up under increasing scrutiny after managing only two Test centuries in the last five years and averaging just 15 against New Zealand.
Despite signs that one of the world’s greatest batsmen may be past his best at 36, Bumrah cautioned that Kohli should never be written off.
Kohli has a stellar record in Australia, averaging 54.08. “He is one of the greats of the game,” said Bumrah.
“He’s the utmost professional that we have in our team. He’s got a lot of success.
“Okay, one or two series here and there can go up and down, but the confidence that he has at this moment, I have no doubts.
“He’s looking to contribute. And the way I’ve seen him at training ... the signs are ominous.”
With Bumrah taking the armband, the first Test will have two fast bowlers captaining their teams, with Pat Cummins in charge of Australia.
Bumrah said he was determined to do the job his way.
“I love responsibility. I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child,” he said.
“I’ve never followed a copybook plan... I’ve never followed a model and I go with my instincts and that’s how I’ve always played my cricket. “I have a lot of faith in my instincts and gut,” he added.
Cummins tells McSweeney not to emulate Warner against India
Australia captain Pat Cummins on Thursday urged new opener Nathan McSweeney not to try and emulate swashbuckling David Warner, while admitting his team had unfinished business with India.
The uncapped McSweeney will make his Test bow at Perth Stadium on Friday, parachuted in at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja after Warner’s retirement this year. He has big shoes to fill, and goes into the game having only opened once before at first-class level, in a warm-up Australia A match this month.
Cummins said he must be himself when he fronts a world-class Indian attack spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah on what is expected to be a fiery pitch. “Davey is very hard to replace in many ways, but I think the most important thing for someone like Nath coming in is to play his own game,” he said.
“He doesn’t need to strike at 80 like Davey did if that’s not his game.”
Other than McSweeney, Australia has a settled side which is on a mission to win their first Test series against India in almost a decade. Only Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Steve Smith remain from the squad that last won in Australia back in 2014-15.
Since then they have slumped to four straight Border-Gavaskar series losses, including two at home.
“It’s kind of one of the last things to tick off for a lot of us,” Cummins told reporters of beating their big rival.
“Almost every challenge that we’ve had thrown with us over the last few years we’ve stepped up and done well.
“To do that for another year, another home summer, would kind of cement this.”
While Australia go into the first of five Tests with their starting XI locked in, India is set for a shake up after their devastating 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma will likely miss the match following the birth of his second child, with Bumrah assuming the captaincy.
Number three Shubman Gill is a doubt with an injured thumb, while the bowling line-up behind Bumrah is yet to be decided.
Nevertheless, Cummins is under no illusions about the task ahead. “There will always be pressure when you are playing at home,” he said. “We’re all excited, we know India are right up there with the best teams.
“They are missing a couple of guys we are more familiar with, but we know that whoever they pick they will obviously think are good enough for Test cricket.”