India vs Australia: Will Jackson Bird’s career take belated flight on India trip?

Jackson Bird won’t leave any stone unturned to give his career a much-belated flight if given a chance in India tour.

‘You need to take 20 wickets to win a Test match,’ Indian Test captain Virat Kohli had said some time back. His opponents in the upcoming four-match Test series Australia would agree with him, for who better than them knows it. Having won most number of Test matches (376) till date, they know a thing or two about winning in the five-day format. Australia have perennially relied on their pace battery for success in Test cricket. But with the home teams these days playing to their strengths, the visiting sides have been forced to change their strategies. The ‘horses for courses’ policy is being increasingly adopted these days. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia, 1st Test at Pune

So, when Australia decked up their squad with four specialist spinners (+ Glenn Maxwell) keeping the slow, spin-friendly Indian surfaces in mind, nobody was surprised. They picked up just three pacers in their 16-man squad, and Jackson Bird was one of those three frontline quicks alongside pace spearheads Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. The injury-prone Bird has played just 8 Tests since he made his debut in 2012. Needless to say, the tour to India, thus, is going to be an important one for his career which has not yet taken a flight despite a very promising start.

NSW product who blossomed in Tasmania

Born in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Bird developed through NSW’s cricket system. He played grade cricket and even made it to NSW Under-23 side but lack of opportunities at First-Class level in a strong NSW side made him move to Tasmania. He got the break in the 2011-12 season and he announced his arrival with a bang. Making his Sheffield Shield debut in November 2011, Bird ended the season as the leading wicket taker. He picked up 53 wickets from 8 matches at a stunning average of 16. He took 5 five-fors and two 10-wicket hauls in his maiden season. This was enough to impress the selectors, who promptly named him in the Test squad to face Sri Lanka at home the following summer.

Bird made his international debut in the Boxing Day Test and was named Man of the Match the following week at the SCG in only his second career Test after he registered match figures of 7 for 117. Though not an express fast bowler, he swung the ball away from the right-handers, kept bowling tight lines, and was consistent and impeccably accurate in the two Tests. Bird made up for the lack of pace with the tremendous control and ability to swing the ball late, making an instant mark at the international level.

But here on, his career was a story of injuries, most notably to his back, which also affected his neck and shoulder.

Bird arrived in India for Test series with the touring party in early 2013, but had to leave even before the series could begin. He played in the first of the two practice matches before a back injury took him down. But this was just the beginning. After missing India Tests, Bird returned to the side for the Ashes in England. He played in the fourth Test before flying back home again with pain in his lower back, thus making it the second overseas tour that year which ended early for him to a back problem. IND vs AUS, 1st Test stats preview: Kohli, Ashwin, Smith eye milestones

Return to the mix

After staying away from the national team for over two and a half years, Bird returned to play against New Zealand last year. By his own admission, he thought his career might have been over. “I had probably a year out of the game where my back was pretty sore the whole time so I thought, there’s a lot of good bowlers in Australia that probably overtook me,” he had told ESPNCricinfo. “I’ve been lucky I guess with a few guys getting injured to make this tour, but I never really lost confidence in my own ability and being able to play well at Test cricket,” he had added.

Bird did well on that tour, picking up 8 wickets in the two Tests, including his first five-for. He was picked for the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka, but did not get a single game in his team’s whitewash as spin took precedence as well as Australia opted for a fit-again Starc.

Bird was made the scapegoat after the disastrous tour to Sri Lanka.  He was dropped from the squad for the first Test of the home series against South Africa in place of Joe Mennie, who the selectors felt could bat as well. “(Bird) came very close. Thing that cost him a place was his batting,” Chairman of selectors Rod Marsh had said. “We’ve got to get runs at the bottom of the order as well”.

The selectors, however, realised their mistake soon and brought him back into the squad. He played the third Test at Adelaide after the series was already lost. The match marked the beginning of a new era in Australian cricket, as three players made their debut while Australia made five changes for the final Test. The hosts finally won a Test and ended their five-match losing streak. Bird’s contribution in the victory was 3 wickets and 6 runs (only for those who think his contribution with the bat mattered).

Bird played two Tests out of three in Australia’s next assignment against Pakistan and picked up 10 wickets before being dropped for the final Test to make room for a second spinner on a pitch that was expected to turn. VVS Laxman: In IND, AUS may find a mirror image of their days of yore

India tour — chance for Bird to fly

The reason why Bird did not feature in the playing XI in a single Test on the tour to Sri Lanka and missed Australia’s last Test against Pakistan is the same —accommodating an extra spinner in the XI. The same reason may clip his wings on the India tour as well. Australia have Starc and Hazlewood as their preferred choice to share the new ball. In Mitchell Marsh, they have the third seamer’s option who can lend great balance to the squad with his ability with the bat. This, once again, puts Bird’s place in danger.

Unless there is an injury scare, Bird may once again find himself warming the bench. Luck has not always been on his side, as he has played just 8 Tests since his debut in 2012. The fact that likes of Hazlewood (26), Adam Voges (20), Mitchell Marsh (19), Peter Nevill (17) and Joe Burns (13) have debuted after him and played more Tests than him sums up his journey so far.

For now, Bird is happy being the third pacer. “I feel like I’ve been bowling pretty well and contributing at good times for the team now, which is pleasing for myself. It has been good fun the last couple of weeks. I’m really enjoying it, and it’s nice to contribute,” he had said during the second Test against Pakistan recently.

That he gets a chance or not, may be a thing of luck. But one thing is for sure: if Bird gets a game, he will not disappoint. He won’t leave any stone unturned to give his career a much-belated flight.