Debutant all-rounder Beau Webster believes playing against India pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be an enormous challenge for the Australian pacers on the seamer-friendly SCG pitch. 

India were bowled out for 185 before Bumrah dismissed opener Usman Khawaja off the last ball of the day to Bumrah to leave Australia on 9/1 at stumps. 

“Think there’s definitely a method to go about batting on this wicket. But Jasprit is a world class bowler and no doubt he is going to challenge our whole batting group. He is phenomenal with his lengths and lines, it is going to be tough on a wicket that will offer a fair bit for him,” Webster said on Friday.

Webster also praised Australia’s effort in restricting India to a sub-200 total on a track conducive to seam bowling.

“It was a pretty seamer-friendly track and most of the day the ball stayed pretty new with the grass coverage. It is not an abrasive square either. So, the plan was to bowl a little bit fuller and entice those front foot defences and front foot drives.

“Thought Scotty (Boland) was excellent, he’s been unbelievable since he came back into the team and saw why he’s a world class bowler. Thought all the bowlers were really good today to bowl them out for 200.”

Webster said the degree of seam movement for a few deliveries was way more pronounced and hence they beat the bat regularly.

“There were a couple of unplayable balls, when it seams that much it can be hard to get a wicket at times. We saw a nice-ish partnership (between Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant), where we struggled to get a breakthrough through the sheer seam movement. We beat the bat a lot but couldn’t find the edge.”

The 31-year-old was all praise for Boland and said the pacer can find a way to get wickets on any surface and when there is help on offer, he is on par with the best in business.

“If there’s anything in the wicket he finds it and if there’s nothing in the wicket he still manages to find a way through,” the lanky Tasmanian said.

“He’s been fantastic this whole series when he’s got his chance, he’s relentless. I think it’s his line and length and his natural angle that makes it really hard for right-handers, but when we see him go round the wicket to left-handers it’s impressive stuff.”

Webster, who took a good catch in the slips to dismiss Virat Kohli, found Boland’s bowling enjoyable.

“It’s great to watch from the third slip today, the amount of movement he gets and how accurate he is and how challenging he is for both left and right handers. He’s been superb, he can bowl long spells and back up the next day.

“He’s a ripping bloke so everyone is stoked when he does well which seems to be all the time at the moment.”

Webster said he was happy to put his nondescript village, Snug in Tasmania, a part of the cricketing map.

“My phone has been blowing off with messages and calls. It is a proud moment especially since I come from a small place and it is nice to put it on the map,” he added.

Rohit Sharma’s decision to ‘opt out’ of the ongoing fifth and final Test against Australia was bizarre as it sends wrong signals and the India captain deserved ‘more respect’ from the team management, reckoned former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Grappling with poor form, Rohit pulled out of the Sydney Test, handing over the leadership duties to Jasprit Bumrah. The move also paved the way for Shubman Gill’s inclusion in the crucial match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

“A Captain should never be dropped midstream nor given the option to opt out … sends wrong signals,” Sidhu said on X. 

Rohit, who missed the opening Test at Perth to be present for the birth of his second baby, scored only 31 runs across five innings in three Tests.

“Have seen Captains like Mark Taylor, Azharuddin etc persisted as captain for a year despite bad form … @ImRo45 deserved more respect and faith from the management … Bizarre coz it happened for the first time in Indian cricket history. Blunder — for a fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef!,” he added.

After missing the Perth Test, Rohit returned for the pink-ball Test at Adelaide but didn’t look his old self,  struggling to execute even his trademark front foot pull shots.

The 37-year-old Rohit endured a tough time in Test cricket in 2024, accumulating just 619 runs in 26 innings across 14 matches, averaging 24.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed Team India skipper Rohit Sharma that he is no longer a part of their plans for Test cricket after the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, according to a report by the Indian Express.

India have a tough road ahead when it comes to qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and the report claims that if India manage to reach the summit clash, they will be captained by Jasprit Bumrah.

The report further claimed that the BCCI selectors will have a meeting with Virat Kohli to discuss his future in Test cricket. However, it is believed that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja remain in the scheme of things for the future as his presence is valued by BCCI in the transition period.

With speculations suggesting that Rohit Sharma has played his last Test match for the Indian national team, and the skipper having ‘opted to rest’ in the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant labelled the move as an ‘emotional decision.’

According to another report, it stated that if Rohit’s position as ODI captain is also under review, or if the selectors opt to reduce the workload on the 37-year-old, Hardik Pandya could be a strong contender for the role. The all-rounder has already gained valuable experience leading the team in white-ball formats over the past two years.