Jasprit Bumrah clinches the Player of the Series award for his remarkable haul of 32 wickets in 5 matches, despite India succumbing to a 3-1 series defeat against Australia. Next gen pacers that India need to groom in Test.
Despite losing the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1, India had a silver lining in Jasprit Bumrah, who won the Player of the Series award with 32 wickets. He also led India to their only win in Perth. In fact, Bumrah had single-handedly helped India save some blushes; otherwise, the margin of loss in each of the three Tests that India lost could have been wider.
Jasprit Bumrah walks into record books
Throughout the course of the series, Bumrah reached 200 Test wickets and became the only player in Test cricket to have an average below 20 to reach the milestone. He also broke India’s record for taking the most wickets (32) in Australia. His impeccable line and length bowling made him difficult to score off, and he ended the series with an average of 13.06.
Bumrah’s skills to the fore
What was impressive about Bumrah was his ability to pick up wickets with the new ball, old ball, and the second new ball. Time and again, he brought India back into the game with his knack for picking up wickets, regardless of the ball conditions. He had Australia’s top-order in all sorts of trouble with the new ball. He was equally effective with the old ball when it was not doing much, and he made the ball talk with the second new ball as well, picking up wickets and halting the momentum of the Aussies.
Bumrah remained a constant threat throughout the series as Australia batters struggled to keep their wickets intact or score runs against him. India dearly missed Bumrah's services in the Sydney Test's second innings when they were defending a low target. For the record, Bumrah was unable to bowl due to back spasms.
Bumrah wages lone battle
Throughout the series, Bumrah waged a lone battle as other India pacers, such as Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana, struggled to pick up wickets at the other end. The divide between Bumrah and the other India pacers was so stark that captain Rohit Sharma used Bumrah in many short bursts during the Melbourne Test's second innings to wrap up Australia's innings. Rohit gave his part-timers a longer run ahead of the second new ball to keep Bumrah fresh, and Bumrah repaid that faith brilliantly. But the less said about the support bowlers, the better.
Support bowlers could have done better
Siraj bowled well in patches during the first three Tests and finally found some rhythm from the second innings of the fourth Test onwards. Rana started his Test career with a bang, taking four wickets on debut at Perth. However, he went wicketless in the second Test at Adelaide and was dropped thereafter. Deep bowled impressively but could not translate that into numbers in the wicket column, taking five wickets in two matches.
Australia bowlers outshine India
In comparison, Aussie bowlers supported each other well. They have the experience of bowling in conditions Down Under and know how best to use the new ball, old ball, and the second new ball. With a rich haul of Test wickets under their belts, the experience came in handy when plotting India’s downfall. The Aussie pacers shared the workload among themselves, and each had a more or less similar number of wickets in the series. Even Scott Boland stepped up when he replaced the injured Josh Hazlewood.
This wide divide between the main pacer and support bowlers was more evident in India’s bowling lineup than with the Aussies. Here’s a look at the stats from the series that highlight the huge gap between India’s pacers and the Aussie fast bowlers.
Read More: Jasprit Bumrah breaks the 200-wicket barrier in Tests, becomes fastest India pacer to this milestone
Number of wickets taken by India and Australia pacers in the series
India | Wickets | Average | Matches |
Jasprit Bumrah | 32 | 13.06 | 5 |
Mo. Siraj | 20 | 31.15 | 5 |
Harshit Rana | 4 | 50.75 | 2 |
Akash Deep | 5 | 54.00 | 2 |
Prasidh Krishna | 6 | 17.83 | 1 |
Nitish Reddy | 5 | 38.00 | 5 |
Australia | Wickets | Average | Matches |
Mitchell Starc | 18 | 28.66 | 5 |
Pat Cummins | 25 | 21.36 | 5 |
Scott Boland | 21 | 13.19 | 3 |
Josh Hazlewood | 6 | 13.16 | 2 |
Now, with the series done and dusted, it’s time for India to look at possible candidates who can support Bumrah in their quest to get Indian Test cricket back on track.
Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna got one chance in the Sydney Test, where he finished with a match haul of 6 wickets. He showed good promise with the ball, looking to hit the deck hard and letting the pitch do the rest. He also got the ball to swing when pitched up, creating edges behind. With the next WTC cycle starting a few months away, India must start planning and narrow down the pacers who could take 20 Test wickets in these conditions. Krishna could be a bankable option to join Bumrah in the ranks.
Arshdeep Singh
India needs the services of Arshdeep Singh, who has been a revelation in the limited-overs format. It’s time for Arshdeep to be brought into the Test team and asked to bowl in the five-day format. He could be a great asset in SENA countries, as he has the ability to swing the ball into the right-hander or away from him. Under Bumrah’s mentorship, Arshdeep could be groomed into a great wicket-taking option to support Bumrah.
Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj
Both are quick learners and bowled their hearts out during the series Down Under. However, their efforts didn’t translate into wickets. Nevertheless, they will only grow and learn from the experience of playing in the tough Aussie conditions. The two hold a lot of promise but need to improve in drawing more errors from batters in exchange for wickets. If these two pacers work on their bowling and improve their ability to be more threatening as wicket-taking options, they could be great support to Bumrah in SENA countries in the next WTC cycle.
Harshit Rana
It would have been a bit disappointing for Harshit Rana to be dropped after just one poor outing. However, he should take heart from his debut performance in the Perth Test. He picked up four wickets, including the dangerous Travis Head. Rana is young and will only become a better bowler after gaining more experience Down Under. If well managed, Rana could become a threatening support bowler to Bumrah in SENA nations.
Nurturing next gen India pacers
India could identify a pool of promising young pacers with the potential to do well in away conditions. These players could be sent on India A tours abroad to compete with the home team and learn the ropes of the game. This would help them gain the necessary experience and exposure to tough overseas conditions. Once identified, they should be given opportunities to rub shoulders with Bumrah and Co. in the national team, learning from them and growing as bowlers.
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