Mitchell Johnson: Like Jeff Thomson and Lasith Malinga before him, Jasprit Bumrah’s uniqueness a great asset

Jasprit Bumrah is so good to watch as a fast bowler because, like Aussie tearaway Jeff Thomson or Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga, he does it his own way with a unique style.

These are actions you just can’t teach but because they are so rare, it makes it harder for batsmen to face.

After taking over captain’s duties and deciding to bat first in a call that looked questionable after India were rolled for 150 on the opening day of the first Test, Bumrah then got the ball in his hand.

He knocked over Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith in his first spell to get India back into the match before finishing with 5-30 in the first innings.

Bumrah’s run-up is like no other but he is able to generate everything he needs by the time he hits the bowling crease, whipping his arm through quickly and snapping his wrist behind the ball.

He has pace and it is difficult to pick up his length because of his release point being a little different to most. His wrist angles are subtle, making it hard to pick the inswinger and outswinger which seem to come out the same way.

Bumrah’s story and rise is incredible. Once left out of the Gujarat Cricket Association’s under-19 squad because of his unconventional bowling action, he is now feared by batsmen around the world. It will be interesting to watch him throughout this series on all the different types of pitches to see what he is capable of.

There’s been plenty of talk about the Optus Stadium pitch but I don’t think it caused 17 wickets to fall on the opening day. There was a greenish look to the wicket, with some early seam movement, and it was quick and bouncy but nothing out of the ordinary.

As a fast bowler, you obviously enjoy when you get a pitch like this on day one. The bowling in general was high class from both teams in each side’s first innings.

The relentlessness of the bowling attacks was clear. There were no freebies or easy balls to put away. The batting was below par as India were bowled out for 150 and Australia for 104, and a lack of foot movement and players stuck on the crease were both apparent and costly.

In Test match cricket you will go through periods when it’s tough to bat because of some early movement, swing or seam and vice versa for bowlers when you have to have some patience on a flat pitch and grind away for long periods.

The Test match moved incredibly fast for the first four sessions, and Indian openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal showed the value of big batting partnerships on Saturday.

Surviving the new ball is important on this pitch because as the ball loses some shine and hardness, it appears to get easier to play.

India will want to keep the Aussie bowlers out in the heat for long periods and keep them coming back and bowling many spells so that they will get some heavy legs and fatigue.

It was a tough day in the field for the Aussies and the quicks had to back up over after over. While the game isn’t over, the morning session will be very important. The Australian bowlers stuck at it for long periods but India were just better at leaving the ball and rotating the strike often.

It looks like India are trying to cook the bowlers and keep the fielders out on their feet for a long time. With plenty of time left in this game, I wonder if this is part of India’s plan with a long series ahead.

The bowlers need to get an early breakthrough on Sunday and continue to attack the stumps once they have a new batsman in and have lots of energy in the field to back up the bowlers.

The pitch has played well and has become easier to bat on. The contrast between day one and day two has been incredible with 17 wickets followed by just three.

We are seeing some quality Test cricket and a tough battle between bat and ball. Australia will want to win this first Test and they are certainly still in it if they can bowl well today.

The Aussies will be chasing plenty in the fourth innings of the match and all of the Aussie top six will have plenty to prove in the second innings after Travis Head’s 11 was the top score among them in the first innings.

The big players in the Australian batting order need to lead by example and it’s crucial Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith start making some runs.