Nathan McSweeney praises Jasprit Bumrah, saying, “I was naive going into him”

During the Border-Gavaskar series 2024–25, Nathan McSweeney faced the deadly Jasprit Bumrah and appeared to be in serious trouble. The right-handed batsman was discarded for the rest of the series after opening for the Australians in the first three games and scoring just 72 runs at an average of 14.40. Over the course of six innings, Bumrah removed him four times.

Bumrah is a fantastic bowler, according to McSweeney, who also noted that he consistently manages to trounce batsmen by pitching the ball in places they dislike.

Undoubtedly, “tough work” is an understatement. He bowls incredibly well. I guess I went into it naive, having never dealt with him before, and assuming he would be alright. On the Willow Talk Podcast, McSweeney stated, “But he’s an amazing bowler who has enormous skill but just a relentless ability to pitch the ball in the area where you don’t want as a batter.”

Despite the fact that Bumrah was a tough opponent, McSweeney said it offered him some hope because none of the Australian batsmen in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy had much success against the vice-captain of India’s Test team.

According to him, “it was a very tough challenge, but it also gave me a little bit of confidence because nobody really had much success against him, and everyone was trying to tackle him at the same time and nobody was playing him with ease.”

Returning to the IPL in 2025 is Jasprit Bumrah.

In the Sydney final Test match against Australia, Bumrah sustained a back injury that has kept him out of play ever since. But if reports are to be believed, the right-arm seamer is improving steadily and will be ready to play in the 2025 Indian Premier League, even though he missed the first few games.

On Sunday, March 23, Mumbai will travel to Chennai to play their bitter rivals, the Chennai Super Kings, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.