New Delhi, India - As the anticipation builds for the upcoming cricket showdown between India and Australia, one question looms large: Has the Australian squad devised a special plan to counter the formidable Mohammed Siraj? Australia's skipper, Pat Cummins, who is himself making a comeback from injury, responded to this inquiry with a succinct yet impactful one-word reply during a pre-match press conference held in Mohali. With the three-match series set to commence this Friday, Cummins simply stated, "No."

While Cummins' response may not have been a shocker, it certainly raised eyebrows, considering Siraj's scorching form. The fiery Indian fast bowler recently etched his name into the annals of cricketing history with a remarkable performance against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final last Sunday. Siraj achieved the remarkable feat of equalling Chaminda Vaas's record for the fastest five-wicket haul in One Day Internationals (ODIs). His bowling masterclass yielded five wickets while conceding just 17 runs, sending shockwaves through the Sri Lankan batting order.

The Indian pace sensation bowled an astonishing seven consecutive overs, amassing astonishing figures of 6/21, a performance that decimated the Sri Lankan lineup, limiting them to a paltry 50 runs. This marked the lowest total Sri Lanka had ever posted in a 50-over format match against any opposition. Siraj's figures were heralded as the best in the entire continental tournament. Had it not been for the intervention of Hardik Pandya, who snatched three quick wickets himself, Siraj might have shattered Stuart Binny's record for the best bowling figures by an Indian in ODIs (6/5 against Bangladesh).

Furthermore, Siraj's stellar showing catapulted him to the pinnacle of the latest ICC rankings, making him the world's top-ranked bowler.

This is not Siraj's first encounter with the Australian team. He made his Test debut against Australia and played a pivotal role in securing India's triumph in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Australian soil for the second consecutive time.

Australia is well aware of the threat Siraj poses, but it's not just him that the Aussies should be wary of. India's star pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, is also a formidable adversary, particularly with the new ball. Cummins, however, remained tight-lipped regarding any specific strategies to counter these lethal Indian bowlers.

Nevertheless, Cummins did reveal that, like India, Australia would experiment with various combinations to solidify their playing XI ahead of the impending World Cup. Cummins stated, "We want to strike a balance between acclimating to the conditions and securing a few victories. We don't want to enter the World Cup's first game underprepared. We intend to test out a few combinations and different players, although we have a structure in mind that we want to implement. As captain, I want to understand how to best utilize my bowlers here, which may differ from conditions in South Africa and Australia. Will the second spinner have a role to play? Hopefully, we'll uncover some answers in the upcoming matches."

Intriguingly, several senior Indian players, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav, will be absent from the first two matches of the series. The primary objective of this series is to identify a backup for Axar Patel, who sustained an injury during the 2023 Asia Cup. The team management is contemplating the selection of either R Ashwin or Washington Sundar as his replacement.

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