"Someone, the opposition is going to be discussing a lot about" - Abhishek Nayar on Indian star ahead of IND vs SA 2025 1st Test

Former India player Abhishek Nayar has noted that Jasprit Bumrah would be spoken about a lot in the South African dressing room ahead of the first Test against India. However, he opined that the ace seamer would be difficult to face no matter what plans the Proteas batters chalk out against him.

India will face South Africa in a two-match Test series, with the first game starting in Kolkata on Friday, November 14. Bumrah is expected to lead the Indian seam attack, with Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep being the other two specialist seamers in the squad.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan,' Nayar was asked about his thoughts on Bumrah ahead of the Kolkata Test.

"Those conditions, black soil, he is going to be lethal. Someone, the opposition is going to be discussing a lot about, and no matter how much you discuss, when you stand and you have to face him, it's a completely different ball game. When Bumrah is in your attack, it kind of takes away from everyone else, and your focus is solely on Jasprit Bumrah picking wickets," he responded.

The former India assistant coach added that Bumrah would be relatively fresh and eager to play in the potentially seam-friendly conditions at the Eden Gardens.

"Workload management again, he has been playing a lot of cricket, which is amazing to see. Luckily, in this T20 format (series against Australia), there were two games that were washed out. He will be relatively fresh and relatively excited because he is going to get conditions that he is going to really, really enjoy," Nayar observed.

Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 226 wickets at an average of 19.83 in 50 Tests. He has accounted for 38 dismissals at an average of 20.76 in eight Tests against South Africa.

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"England, for me, was that turning point in his career" - Abhishek Nayar on Mohammed Siraj ahead of IND vs SA 2025 1st Test

Mohammed Siraj was the highest wicket-taker in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same interaction, Abhishek Nayar was asked about his thoughts on Mohammed Siraj ahead of the first Test against South Africa.

"England, for me, was that turning point in his career and his belief systems that he can lead this attack, with or without Jasprit, that he can walk shoulder to shoulder and carry this attack. In that last game at the Oval, he proved as to why, in the future, this Indian team can look at Mohammed Siraj and say, 'Siraj, here is the ball, get me the wicket,'" he replied.

The former India all-rounder added that Shubman Gill and the team management can now trust Siraj as much as Bumrah.

"The same confidence with which they went to Bumrah, they can now go to Siraj and say, 'This is that breaking moment. I need you to come and deliver.' He has done it time and time again. Good things are happening and he is slowly becoming an all-phase bowler," Nayar observed.

Mohammed Siraj has picked up 133 wickets at an average of 29.69 in 43 Tests. He has accounted for 12 dismissals at an average of 24.16 in four Tests against South Africa.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer