Jasprit Bumrah has been India’s go-to bowler across formats, but something seems off in the ongoing Test series against England.
Despite ending up with a respectable tally of wickets so far, a closer look at the numbers paints a very different picture. Bumrah has been lethal against England’s lower-order but has found it far tougher to break through the top seven.
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India will be under pressure when they return on Day 3 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford on July 26, with the series hanging at 2-1 in England’s favour. And Bumrah’s mixed returns are now raising genuine questions.
Bumrah has been more effective against England's tailenders than their top order
So far in this series, Bumrah has picked 12 wickets across matches. But here’s the catch: he has taken six wickets against batters ranked 8–11 in the lineup and only six against the top seven. Even more telling is the difference in averages.
| Batter Position | Wickets | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1–7 | 6 | 41.20 |
| 8–11 | 6 | 5.80 |
This stark split indicates that while Bumrah has cleaned up the tail with precision, he hasn’t been able to trouble England’s frontline batters as consistently as expected.
Bumrah has bowled seven new-ball spells in the series but has gone wicketless in five of them, conceding 130 runs for just four wickets across 39 overs.
Bumrah’s match-by-match stats in this series
Let’s break it down by Tests so far:
| Match | Date | Venue | Wickets (Top 7) | Top 7 Players | Wickets (Tail) | Tail Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | Jun 20 | Headingley | 3 | Crawley, Duckett, Root | 2 | Woakes, Tongue |
| 2nd Test | Jul 10 | Lord’s | 3 | Brook, Root, Stokes | 4 | Woakes, Archer, Carse, Woakes |
| 3rd Test | Jul 23 | Old Trafford | 0 | - | 0 | - |
MORE: India, England or someone else? Top 10 highest Test totals at Old Trafford
Bumrah's struggles in the current Old Trafford Test match
At Old Trafford, on a surface where England’s openers put on 166 runs, Bumrah went wicketless. His spells lacked the usual bite, with several deliveries drifting too wide or straying down leg.
The off-stump targeting, usually his strong zone, was inconsistent and didn’t force errors from the English batters.
He was bowling with an off-side-heavy field to Crawley, hoping to induce a drive. But many of his balls were simply too wide to tempt the batter. When he did try to change lines, he often overcorrected and went down leg.
His pace also didn’t seem as threatening as usual, and the pressure he’s known to build over spells wasn’t as visible, especially during England’s strong starts.
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If India lose the fourth Test, they lose the series. Bumrah’s inability to dent the top order early is putting added pressure on the rest of the bowling unit, especially with debutants like Anshul Kamboj being tested under fire.
Unless Bumrah finds his rhythm and the tactical plan around him improves, England’s batters may continue enjoying the upper hand in ongoing Test.