Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t taken a wicket in the ongoing India vs England 4th Test. Many on social media wait for the ace pacer to slip to criticise him. It’s the perfect time to pounce on him. Now, usually, it’s just unfair bashing. But this time around, these critics might just be right about Bumrah.
Not that he isn’t clutch. Or doesn’t take wickets when someone isn’t there to help. But Bumrah has looked gassed out in Manchester. The turnout between the third and fourth Test was just 3 days. It looks like the lack of recovery time has caused a bit of a problem for him.
Bumrah’s speed & accuracy disappear
It hardly takes Bumrah more than an over or two to correct himself. So far, he’s bowled 19 overs and created just a handful of chances. Often, the balls were going down the leg. He was bowling shorter than usual. Bumrah was erring in both line and length. This doesn’t happen.
Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan shared his thoughts on Bumrah, stating the pacer has lacked the speed that Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer were able to generate.
“I have to say Jasprit Bumrah has looked okay and playable today. He hasn’t got that oomph that he got out of the surface at Lord’s when he bowled that incredible spell, and it’s the pace that Bumrah is not able to generate, unlike Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer,” Michael Vaughan said on BBC.
Turns out, he was right. There has been a significant drop in Bumrah’s speed. For someone who consistently bowls around 138-142, in the Manchester Test, he hasn’t delivered one ball that was faster than 140. This doesn’t happen. And it’s not a one-off. This has been a trend in the ongoing series.
Bumrah isn’t match fit for Test cricket?
Bumrah looked similarly toothless in the second innings of the Headingley Test. That pitch was flatter, so perhaps that played a part. At Lord’s, he looked fine because he bowled 16 overs. But at Manchester, Bumrah has looked lacklustre, and it’s the first innings we are talking about.
He even went off the field after bowling just 1 over with the second new ball. Bumrah returned after a couple of overs, but the signs aren’t great. It’s almost certain that he’ll stick to playing 3 Test matches in the ongoing series. Who knows, he may not even bowl in the second innings in Manchester. It looks like he still isn’t at his physical best. At least, not right now.
You can’t forget that Bumrah had injured his back in January. He played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, but that was just 4 overs. It seems like his body wasn’t ready for Test cricket just yet. Perhaps that’s why Bumrah had stated before the series that he’ll play just 3 matches. One can now see why workload management is so important for fast bowlers.
