Will Young says Jasprit Bumrah’s return will make India-New Zealand Test series challenging

New Zealand batter Will Young believes Jasprit Bumrah's return will pose a major challenge in the upcoming Test series against India. However, he backed his team's bowling attack to test the visitors, recalling the confidence gained from their 2024 series win.

Mount Maunganui: New Zealand batter Will Young said the return of Jasprit Bumrah to the Indian line-up would make the upcoming two-game Test series, starting on November 19, a stern examination for the hosts, though he felt his own side’s bowlers were equally capable of testing the visitors.

Bumrah will be available for the marquee Test series after missing the series-winning tour of Sri Lanka in August due to a knee injury. The two-match series marks the first red-ball face-off between the two sides since the Black Caps secured a stunning 3-0 sweep in India in 2024.

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“I think that the Test series that we had in India a couple of years ago is long gone. We’ve got a brand-new challenge in front of us which is two massive Tests against India at home. It’s at Wellington and Christchurch, two of the marquee Test venues in New Zealand I’d like to think. So it’s going to be a completely different set of challenges.

“As you said Bumrah coming into the side will pose a unique set of challenges with that as well. He’s one of the best bowlers in the world. So we’ve got our work cut out for us but I think we’ve got some brilliant bowlers too. So the Indian batsmen will have to adapt to what we bring to the Test series too. So as I said before it’s all set for a really interesting two Test match series,” Young told reporters on the eve of the ODI series decider on Saturday.

Both teams are firmly in contention for next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) summit clash at The Oval. While New Zealand, the 2021 winners, occupy the second rung on the WTC table behind table-toppers and current champions South Africa, two-time runners-up India are placed fourth.

Asked whether New Zealand’s series win in India in 2024 would have any bearing this time, Young said the tour had given the whole group a lot of belief. He recalled how the side had regrouped after a loss to Sri Lanka before heading to India.

“I think it did. I think that series was really good for the whole group and the confidence that the whole group gained from that. I think in various ways, I think before we went to India for that test series we lost against Sri Lanka 2-0 and we managed to double down on what we were thinking, to have a plan against each bowler and back yourself to express yourself and to take the positive option.

“So it’s nice in a way to have that challenge of facing world class bowlers. But this time it’s different, it’s in New Zealand so the conditions are slightly different. Yesterday wind was a massive factor which isn’t always the case in India. So, it’s nice to be in the setup long enough now for batters to get a feel for what a bowler brings and then depending on what conditions you face on the day you can bring out those skills.”

Before the Tests, though, there is the matter of the ODI series, and Young had kind words for the pace bowling unit India have fielded in it. “I think it’s a really well-balanced attack. You’ve obviously got the left arm of Arshdeep who can move the ball both ways.

“(Auqib) Nabi has shown that he can move the ball both ways. Kamboj unfortunately didn’t get to face, but he looks like a hell of a bowler too and I’m sure we’ll see more of him in the Test series and then Brar, he’s got a lot of passion.

“He’s got a really effective short ball as we’ve seen throughout the series and to be honest most New Zealand sides have a Brar type bowler who can hit the wicket and get a bit of energy out of the surface. So I just look at that seam bowling attack that India have brought to this one-day series and I think it’s a really well-balanced attack,” he concluded.