Australia v India: Mark Waugh calls for Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, to bring fire to Adelaide Test

Australian great Mark Waugh has called for the pace bowling attack, led by Pat Cummins, to bring fire to Adelaide and “ruffle up” young opening star Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Australia’s fast bowlers have been urged to bring fire and brimstone to Adelaide and “ruffle up” Indian young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Test great and Fox Cricket expert Mark Waugh has backed Australia’s decision to give embattled No.3 Marnus Labuschagne one more chance in Adelaide and believes selectors are sending the right message by not panicking about the batting order after one loss.

However, aside from the onus being on individuals to fire up with more runs, Waugh believes the Australian quicks can also learn from the shellacking in Perth and make 22-year-old prodigy Jaiswal more uncomfortable at the crease with an examination of short-stuff under lights.

“We bowled pretty well most of the game, but I did think we lacked a little bit of aggression,” Waugh told this masthead.

“I would like to see more aggression from the fast bowlers.

“A bit more short stuff, maybe ruffling the feathers of the Indian batsmen.

“Jaiswal is a tremendous player. He’s a young guy, he’s 22. We hardly ruffled him up at all.

“I think we can be a bit more aggressive at certain times with the ball and body language.

“It looked a bit flat at times.”

India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal acknowledges the crowd while walking back after his dismissal for 161 on day three of the first Test match against Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth on November 24, 2024. Picture: AFP

Waugh also called on wicketkeeper Alex Carey to play an active role in lifting the mood of the team from behind the stumps and providing the energy that seems to have slipped out of the team since David Warner’s retirement.

Carey did not have his best game with the gloves, and Waugh says he can be the tone setter for Australia to get back high in the saddle against India at 0-1 down.

“Maybe there are players thinking about their own game more than the team situation. A lot of the body language in the field starts from the keeper,” Waugh said.

“But every individual just has to lift a little bit and look a bit more aggressive and not so passive in the field and with the ball.”

Waugh said he would prefer to see Australia’s stars play more Sheffield Shield cricket in the lead-up to such a big Test series, but admits the inner-sanctum would have a good feel on what is required for preparation.

Mark Waugh has called for Australia’s pace bowlers, including Mitchell Starc, to be more aggressive with the ball. Picture: Getty Images

The Fox Cricket caller believes Australian captain Pat Cummins took a risk coming into the first Test with no red ball cricket under his belt, but said the quick’s tailored approach was too early to judge with four Tests still to come.

“It’s a tricky one. India didn’t have a first-class game so I thought they might have been underdone in preparation, but it didn’t seem to affect them,” Waugh said.

“I think as a general rule, I’d like to see our boys playing a bit more red ball cricket. A few of the guys looked a bit underdone.

“I thought Pat Cummins looked a little bit underdone. But he said he’d almost prefer to come into the first Test with an eye on getting through the whole series, which is a dangerous thing to do.

“You really want to hit the ground running in the first Test.

“I’m a bit old fashioned. It was a bit different in our day. We played a lot. We’d have a Shield match before a Test match.

“But times have changed and the schedule dictates a lot of preparation.

“I don’t really have the answer. I don’t think it was a real excuse in the game. We just didn’t bat well enough, whether they played an extra game or not.”

Waugh said Labuschagne should not be the only batsman singled out for scrutiny, and encouraged the besieged star to try and stay “positive” as he attempts to find a way of counter-punching against the wizardry of Jasprit Bumrah.

“Marnus is not the only one. There’s three or four batsmen who probably need some runs,” Waugh said.

“Marnus is a bit different to everybody else. He thinks about cricket 24 hours a day.

“I don’t know, he’s just got to think about how he’s been getting out and how they’re going to bowl to him. Maybe make a few technical changes. He’s still squaring up a lot when his bat’s meeting the ball. He’s coming around, and he’s not in great positions at the moment.

Marnus Labuschagne has struggled with the bat, but according to Mark Waugh, shouldn’t be the only batter facing scrutiny. Picture: Getty Images

“It was very difficult batting against Bumrah against a new ball. But that’s what you’ve got to cope with at this level.

“He’s got to find a way to not only survive but also to score. I think at the moment he’s in a bit of a difficult situation, because he wants to survive and by doing that he’s forgetting to score as well.

“He’s got to put some pressure back on the bowlers somehow.

“He’s just got to keep a bit more of a positive approach to what he’s doing as well.”

Originally published as Australia v India: Mark Waugh calls for Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, to bring fire to Adelaide Test