Who will bat after KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal at number three? Who will play as a specialist number six batter? Is there a place for only one between Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair? The alterations in the batting unit have taken all the headlines for India going into the high-octane England rubber. However, it is the bowling unit that will give visitors the best chance to have a crack at the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Below, we see all the Indian bowlers and rate them based on form before the first Test kicks off tomorrow, June 20, in Leeds!
Jasprit Bumrah: 9/10, Mohammed Siraj: 7/10
Let’s start with the player who almost single-handedly saved India from embarrassment at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He bowled like a dream, and the Australian batters searched for answers all along the tour. A back spasm ultimately ruled him out in the very last innings due to the fact that Bumrah carried the entire bowling attack on his own.
He then missed the entire ODI Champions Trophy before coming in at the IPL 2025. And guess what? He started off from where he left off. Bumrah delivered another sumptuous season, taking 18 wickets at an economy of 6.68, an outstanding feat. The Jasprit Bumrah factor would be going on English batters’ minds, but they would feel a bit relaxed knowing that the man is eyeing just three Tests due to workload management as of now.
Meanwhile, a bowler who would need to step up big time is Mohammed Siraj. The Hyderabadi-born pacer is now one of the senior pacers behind Bumrah and would need to eye reliability over exuberance. He has raw talent, for sure, but Siraj lacks control sometimes. Under English conditions, he could bring his best. However, form wasn’t on his side at IPL 2025. In his previous 11 IPL 2025 games, Siraj took just seven wickets at a highly ordinary average of 57.57 and a strike rate of 35.1, the worst for his side. He did take two wickets in the intra-squad game, but lacked runs at an expensive run rate.
Prasidh Krishna: 9.5/10, Arshdeep Singh: 9/10
Here come two exciting pace-bowling talents, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh. While Krishna extracts extra bounce, Arshdeep adds left-arm variety, something that has been lacking for India in red-ball cricket.
Talking about Prasidh, the lanky pacer proved to be a revelation at IPL 2025. After missing two consecutive IPL campaigns, he roared back and how! For GT, Krishna not only took wickets when needed but also bagged the prestigious Purple Cap. He finished with figures of 25 wickets at a mere bowling SR of 14.00.
Typically a new ball bowler, Krishna has developed himself into a more role-based bowler, where he can perform whatever the think tank asks him to do. His form has made calls for him to be the third pacer in India’s playing XI. Giving him a competition could be Arshdeep Singh, who has previous experience of playing county cricket in England.
The left-arm pacer can be a huge threat, especially with his nimble ability to extract movement both before and off the deck. For PBKS, he bagged 21 wickets. His SR of 16.00 was fantastic too. While he may not start the series, Arshdeep could be a perfect option to replace Bumrah in the team.
Akash Deep: 6/10, Harshit Rana: 7.5/10
Akash Deep was highly unlucky in the Australia series. He produced the highest false shot percentage but didn’t get the rub of the green. He was eventually benched before an injury came in as a roadblock. Akash missed the majority of the IPL and got to play just six games. In those fixtures, he did bowl well in a couple of games but consistency remained an issue.
With three wickets and a high economy of 10.18, Akash Deep doesn’t seem to be in a fine rhythm. Also, he joined the team late and didn’t play the two unofficial Tests against England Lions as well. This time, he’s below in the pecking order, it seems.
Creating more competition among pacers is Harshit Rana, who was just recently added to the Indian squad, but only for the first Leeds Test. It looks like the management isn’t sure about Akash Deep’s fitness and hence took the decision to include Rana. Talking about his form, Rana hasn’t done massively well to warrant a place. He took 15 wickets in a challenging season for KKR. Also, in the only innings he bowled against the England Lions, Rana took just one wicket.
Kuldeep Yadav: 7.5/10, Ravindra Jadeja: 7.5/10
Now come the two left-arm spinners who can spoil the Bazball party of England at any time – Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. While Jaddu is a certainty in the team, Kuldeep’s inclusion may depend on various factors. Are India confident enough in the batting unit that they don’t need a pace-bowling all-rounder at number eight? Is there enough dryness on the surface to make Kuldeep undroppable, something that Ashwin alluded to?
As far as form is concerned, both Kuldeep and Jadeja had an okayish IPL 2025 campaign. While Kuldeep started off quite brilliantly, his form nosedived. In his side’s last seven games, Kuldeep was Delhi Capitals’ least performing bowler, taking a mere three wickets at a horrible average of 62.00 and a strike rate of 46.0. He didn’t play for India A and didn’t go anything mind-boggling in the intra-squad game either.
Similarly, Jadeja was decent in one or two games for CSK. He took 10 wickets in 14 games, out of which he remained wicketless in six fixtures. Having said that, is role will be more of a defensive bowler in England.
Shardul Thakur 9/10, Washington Sundar 6.5/10, Nitish Reddy 7.5/10
Now come the Indian all-rounders, who continue to keep the team management on its toes. In the battle for the No. 8 spot, Nitish Kumar Reddy appears to have nudged ahead of Shardul Thakur, primarily due to his superior batting credentials and recent India A performances.
Reddy notched a composed fifty and chipped in with a couple of wickets in the two unofficial Tests against the England Lions. His hundred on debut earlier this year against Australia is a factor too. However, as a pacer, he offers nothing major. While Shardul Thakur is a proper pacer, Nitish is still a work in progress. He hardly bowled at IPL 2025 too.
Shardul Thakur continues to show why he can never be ruled out. The seamer scored an unbeaten 122 in the intra-squad match and looked lively with the ball. His experience in English conditions is a big plus – Thakur has three fifties in four Tests there and a knack for turning games with the bat. At IPL, Thakur took 13 wickets and against England Lions, he bagged a two-fer.
Meanwhile, Washington Sundar remains an outside contender. While he’s had some handy moments in county cricket and can bring control with the ball, his form in IPL 2025 was ordinary. He took five wickets at an economy of 10.25 and a strike rate of 32.00 in just two games for GT. He offers batting depth and off-spin variety but is unlikely to feature unless the pitch demands two frontline spinners or injury forces changes.
