Ranchi debut likely for Behrendorff

Behrendorff, the 27-year-old leftarm swing bowler, has overcome two stress fractures in his back and a stress fracture in his leg in recent years. “Very excited. It’s something I’ve worked so hard for, so hopefully I’ll be able to play at least one of these three matches over the next week or so,” said Behrendorff on Thursday. 

His first Sheffield Shield game back for Western Australia earlier this year saw him take a career-best 14 for 89 against Victoria, with 9 for 37 in the first innings. His overall figures in first-class cricket aren’t too shabby either: 123 wickets at 23 in 29 matches.

“I’m feeling really good at the moment,” he explained. “I’ve had an uninterrupted pre-season, for a change, which is my first time in probably a long time. I feel my preparation has been great so far, from playing some pre-season games. I feel like my seasons have always started quite slow, so it’s something different this year, which is great. It showed last year when I had my build-up coming back from my leg injury, I was able to have a lot of match practice before so I felt ready to go when I came back. 

“Most of my cricket has been in four-day cricket, so it’s something I’ve worked really hard at and I’m feeling more confident with how I’m going about it. It’s a format I really enjoy and I’m looking forward to starting the four-day summer when I get back home as well,” he added. 

Behrendorff was quick to acknowledge, though, that the pitches he will encounter in India won’t be as helpful as the ones in Australia, and he will have to be on the money from ball one. “The wickets here are different to the ones we play on back home,” he said. “It’s about execution, having the right field set and bowling the right ball at the right time is going to be huge.”