India's Bowling Dilemma: Jasprit Bumrah's One-Man Show Highlights Key Weakness

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing Headingley Test [Source: AP Photos]Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing Headingley Test [Source: AP Photos]

After posting a formidable total of 471 in the first innings of the ongoing Headingley Test, Jasprit Bumrah gave them an ideal start with the ball. The early wicket gave the visitors a hope that they can pick up some more scalps and put pressure on England.

The dismissal of Zak Crawley in the first over perfectly encapsulated the class of the bowler. The delivery in itself was an example of the perfection Jasprit Bumrah represents. It was vintage Bumrah- deceptive, precise, and unplayable. However, what followed after that highlighted India's glaring bowing deficiency.

Bumrah vs Others - Difference Of Miles

While Bumrah demonstrated perfect fast bowling - looking for swing with the new ball and varying his length strategically to deceive batters, there was no decent support from the other end. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna appeared to be alarmingly uni-dimensional. Bumrah's ability to angle the ball in before making it seam away showed the craft that has made him the first bowler in Test history to take 200 wickets at an average below 20. 

In sharp contrast to Bumrah, Siraj and Prasidh lacked the variation and penetration that define effective Test bowling. Their inability to create pressure and maintain the momentum established by Bunmrah's opening salvo exposed the concerning gap in class of India's attack.

The Workload Dilemma

The concerning pattern of over-reliance on Bumrah is becoming increasingly evident. While he demonstrates the craft and skill that already make him cricket's elite fast bowler, his supporting cast continues to struggle with consistency and penetration. This extraordinary burden on a single bowler reveals the depth issues plaguing India's pace attack.

The Broader Implications

What truly sets Bumrah apart is his ability to lead an inexperienced pace attack while consistently raising his own game when the team needs it. At Headingley, this familiar pattern continued as Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett grew increasingly comfortable against Bumrah's supporting cast after Crawley's departure.

The current scenario of the Indian team mirrors their struggles, where Bumrah has repeatedly carried the attack single-handedly. Unless India gets a bowler with tactical awareness and skill variation that Bumrah has or atleast something near his ability, India's hopes of taking 20 wickets to win a game will get increasingly complex.