BGT: McSweeney aspires to take on Bumrah in the Gabba Test

In a bid to find the successor for David Warner in the opening spot, Australia brought in Nathan Sweeney for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The domestic prospect led the side that beat India A in two unofficial Tests ahead of the five-match BGT series. Interestingly, the second fixture against India A was McSweeney's first time batting in the opening slot.  As the series began in Perth, the young batter was put against the lethal Jasprit Bumrah. The interim Indian captain, meanwhile, didn't cut any slack for the newcomer as marked the opener as his first scalp of the series. Now, with Australia and India sitting at level in the BGT, Bumrah has dismissed the Aussie three times across the two Tests. However, as the Brisbane Test approaches, Nathan McSweeney is eyeing a turnaround against the primary Indian pacer.

Nathan McSweeney wants to shot back at Jasprit Bumrah in the third BGT Test

With India and Australia aiming at a lead in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series at the Gabba, Nathan McSweeeney has his goal marked. The opener, who debuted in Perth, has managed only nine runs against Jasprit Bumrah in four innings so far. While McSweeney remained not out on 10 in the final innings of the Adelaide Test, the other three dismissals came at the hands of Bumrah. However, the 39 in Adelaide marked an improvement from the 10 and a duck that McSweeney suffered against the Indian match-winner in the opening BGT Test. Now, as the series progresses, McSweeney hopes to get a better handle on his plans against Bumrah and land some punches against his pace.

"To get a bowler like Jasprit early on in my career, it's not going to get much tougher than that," McSweeney told. "Hopefully I'll get better the more I face him, and I can throw a few more punches here at the Gabba," he said.

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the few players of India who appear to be at top of their forms down under. The seamer has scalped12 wickets in the series so far, including a devastating spell of 5/30 that sealed India’s 295-run victory in the Perth Test. Despite Bumrah’s dominance, McSweeney believes that facing such a “unique” bowler will prepare him for future challenges, both in this series and beyond.

"Facing him for the first time, he's quite a unique bowler, so it's just about adapting to his angle and where he delivers on the crease," McSweeney added. "I got two pretty good balls from him [in Perth], so I try and just wear that on the chin and trust that what I've been doing is going to be good enough. He got me again in Adelaide but I'm really enjoying the experience of trying to work out a game plan on the run against a world-class bowler," he added.

Since David Warner’s retirement, Australia has struggled to find stability at the top of the order. The highest opening partnership so far has been the 24-run stand between McSweeney and the experienced Usman Khawaja in the second Test. However, the team’s batting order received a morale boost with Marnus Labuschagne’s gritty 64 in the first innings and Travis Head’s explosive 140 off just 120 balls. These performances should inspire confidence in the lineup as they prepare to counter Bumrah’s brilliance in Brisbane.

With the Border Gavaskar Trophy standing at level, the third Test of the five-match series will pose a significant tussle. India will aim to emulate their heroics from 2020 when the team became the first-ever side to beat Australia at the Gabba in 32 years. Australia, meanwhile, would hope to bank on their resurgence in the tournament after opening the account with 295-run defeat in the Perth Test. Furthermore, latest updates from Brisbane suggest that the Gabba turf is anticipated to be at its fiery best, offering remarkable bounce as per its true nature.