IND vs NZ ODIs: India's vulnerable pace-bowling in death overs without Jasprit Bumrah decoded

India pacer Jasprit Bumrah (Source: AFP) 

India are set to play another ODI series without the star pacer Jasprit Bumrah as they announced the squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand on Saturday. Notably, it will be another addition to the string of Jasprit Bumrah’s absences from the ODIs since he made his ODI appearance in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. 

Since then, India have been seen struggling in the death overs, feeling the impact of Bumrah’s absence. It has also affected India’s performance as a team in the death overs in the 50-over games. That said, here’s a statistical dive into the difference in India’s death-bowling performances, both with and without Bumrah, in the respective two-year periods. 

India in death overs with Jasprit Bumrah from 2021 to ODI World Cup 2023 Final

In the period of two years from November 20, 2021, to the ODI World Cup 2023 final, India’s death-bowling looked quite sorted with Jasprit Bumrah in the mix. In this span, India's death bowling largely revolved around four key pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur. 

Every bowler from the above-mentioned quartet bowled in the death overs for more than 10 innings each. The quartet scalped a total of 42 wickets in the death overs during these two years. Bumrah was the leading wicket-taker for India in the death overs (41-50) during this period, followed by Shami. 

Leading wicket-takers for in death overs from Nov 20, 2021 to ODI World Cup 2023 Final

He scalped 15 wickets in 13 innings, with a decent economy rate of 5.22, including the best performance of 3/18 in the death overs. In these 13 appearances, Bumrah bowled 37 overs, which means he bowled more than two overs of a spell in the death phase in every game. 

India had picked a total of 56 wickets among eight pace bowlers in the death phase from 2021 to the ODI World Cup 2023 final. Bumrah’s impact in this period can be underscored by the fact that he picked 10 out of his 15 wickets in the winning cause for India. 

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Mohammed Shami’s efficient company for Bumrah

In addition to his individual brilliance, Jasprit Bumrah had the veteran pacer Mohammed Shami as a reliable partner during this period.  The Shami-Bumrah duo jointly bagged 26 wickets in death overs, with Shami’s 11 and Bumrah’s 15 wickets in 10 and 13 innings, respectively.

The Shami-Bumrah duo jointly bagged 26 wickets in death overs, with Shami’s 11 and Bumrah’s 15 wickets in 10 and 13 innings, respectively. 

Shami-Bumrah duo in winning cause for India from 2021 to 2023 World Cup final

The star duo also contributed heavily to India’s wins during this particular two-year span. They picked a total of 20 wickets in seven innings in the winning cause for India. Shami and Bumrah shared 10 wickets between them across seven innings as India won the game, including Shami's impressive bowling strike rate of just 8.90. 

It also establishes the fact that Shami-Bumrah had a crucial role in India’s ODI wins during this period, taking 20 out of their 26 wickets in the winning cause. 

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A concerning dip in death-bowling without Bumrah since World Cup 2023 Final

The post-Bumrah era in ODIs for India have witnessed a severe hit on their pace-bowling module in the death overs. They have experimented with six different pacers in this phase. The list includes the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammed Siraj. 

Leading wicket-taker for India in death overs since ODI World Cup 2023 final

In Bumrah’s absence, Arshdeep Singh is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in the death overs since the ODI World Cup 2023 final. He has picked just seven wickets in six innings, followed by Shami’s six wickets in six innings. 

Notably, Bumrah’s pace-bowling mate Mohammed Shami hasn’t played in ODIs for India since his appearance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. Following Arshdeep and Shami, Harshit Rana is the third leading wicket-taker for India in death overs since the World Cup final. Rana has picked just five wickets in seven innings. 

Therefore, Bumrah’s ODI absence since the ODI WC 2023 final was further joined by Shami’s omission from the ODIs after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. If it comes to look at India’s pace attack in the absence of the Shami-Bumrah duo, then it brutally exposes India’s struggle with their pace-bowling model in the death overs since the Champions Trophy 2025. 

Conclusion: Practical decision is the ‘Need of the Hour’ 

The Indian team management clarified their side on their decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah. They said that this decision was taken considering the T20 World Cup 2026 plans as a priority from the perspective of Bumrah’s availability. 

But this logic seems to have defied their own decision of not picking Bumrah in the ODIs since the World Cup 2023 final, a period without Bumrah, way before their acclaimed T20 World Cup 2026.

So, picking Bumrah regularly in the ODIs after the T20 World Cup 2026 is one of the practical decisions that the management needs to take for India's pace-bowling. Besides that, the alleged ego-issues or any notions should be left aside to bring the in-form Mohammed Shami back into India’s ODI mix. 

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