The prospect of resting Jasprit Bumrah for the IND vs ENG Edgbaston Test has sent shockwaves among the India cricket fans after a five-wicket loss in Leeds. Their concerned question is, if not Boom, then who? While Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur chipped in, their erratic bowling could not contain England in Leeds. Bumrah was the only bowler who troubled England batters in the first innings. In the second, with Bumrah not getting a wicket, India struggled.
In Birmingham, another venue where England have a record chase, Bumrah’s absence could be catastrophic for India’s bowling. While Bumrah is not yet ruled out of the IND vs ENG Edgbaston Test, the chances are high. On the bench, India have two pace bowlers in Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh. In the pace bowling department, India have options in Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar. Nitish Reddy is also an option if India want a seam bowling all-rounder. However, Reddy is a batting all-rounder and could chip in with some overs. But Shubman Gill won’t be able to trust him to bowl longer spells.
Trouble for India in Bumrah’s absence?
The Edgbaston pitch is likely to have similar characteristics to Headingley. Historically, Edgbaston, where India have never won, has offered good batting surfaces with early seam movement and spin on Day 4 and 5. With England going through a dry summer with less than normal rainfall, the pitch is likely to be quite dry and help batters.
On such pitches, bowlers are likely to struggle apart from the first two sessions of the Test match. In such a situation, if India are without Jasprit Bumrah, it could be a difficult affair for the bowling unit. Bumrah not only bowled wicket-taking deliveries, but he also kept England in check. On the other end, Siraj and Prasidh were erratic in the 1st innings.
While Bumrah’s strike rate took a hit after going wicketless in the 2nd innings, he had a bowling average of 28.00 in Leeds. Prasidh and Shardul had 44.0 and 44.50, while Siraj had a bowling average of 86.50. Jadeja returned with 172. The two Indian pacers were poor in discipline. Prasidh returned with a match economy rate of 6.28 while Shardul had an economy of 5.56. Siraj had 4.21.
“Just look at his (Prasidh) economy combining both innings. He is at No. 2 in terms of the worst economy for a fast bowler in history. Bumrah has this economy in T20s, nearly 6.50. So, he will have to concentrate on his economy. He has good height and pace. He will have to learn as soon as possible how to bowl a consistent area according to the batter,” former India pacer Irfan Pathan said on Sony Sports.
Jasprit Bumrah bagged his 14th fifer in the 1st innings of Leeds TestIndia’s bowling in Leeds
PlayerInnsOversRunsWktsBBIAvgEconSRJasprit Bumrah243.414055/8328.003.2052.40Prasidh Krishna235.022053/12844.006.2842.00Shardul Thakur216.08922/5144.505.5648.00Mohammed Siraj241.017322/12286.504.21123.00Ravindra Jadeja247.017211/104172.003.65282.00If not Bumrah, then who?
That raises the question again, who will replace Bumrah in IND vs ENG Test if the pace spearhead misses out? If the conditions permit, India may go with Kuldeep Yadav. But there could be changes in the pace department, too. It did not seem that captain Shubman Gill had a lot of trust in Shardul’s bowling abilities. Shardul bowled only 16 overs in the entire match. While he got two wickets in two balls, he was largely unused in the match.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has been raring to go in red-ball cricket, could give India an option. He has a knack for taking wickets and could bowl with the new ball. He could swing the ball both ways with the new ball, giving India a cover for Bumrah. The other option could be Akash Deep. The Bengal pacer has bowled dominant spells earlier. But, he has been unlucky not to get wickets.
However, India would be cautious with the changes. With hardly any batting prowess in the lower order, India suffered collapses in both innings of the Leeds Test. India could look at adding Nitish Reddy or Washington Sundar as a batting cover at No 8 instead of Kuldeep Yadav. Arshdeep Singh could make his Test debut as a cover for Bumrah. Prasidh and Siraj are likely to retain their places. If India take the drastic step, Arshdeep could replace Prasidh with Reddy coming in for Shardul.
Who replaces Jasprit Bumrah in IND vs ENG Edgbaston Test? Inside Sport India.
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