India in England: Missing quality support system
In these 11 Test wins between Johannesburg in 2018 and Perth in 2024, all Indian bowlers played a big role relieving Bumrah of this burden of being a lynchpin all the time. In their win over South Africa seven years ago, Bumrah was the star performer in the first innings picking up five wickets but it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who claimed three in the first and one in the second to walk away with the Player of the Match award, thanks to his vital contributions with the willow. Apart from the duo, Mohammed Shami bagged five wickets while Ishant Sharma scalped two in the second innings.
In Nottingham, Hardik Pandya returned with impressive figures of 5/28 in the first innings with Bumrah (2/37 and Shami 2/32) playing a side role. It was the role reversal in the second innings as Bumrah completed yet another five-wicket haul overseas with India winning the match by 203 runs.
Now retired R Ashwin played a huge role in India’s win in Adelaide in 2018 as he claimed three wickets apiece in both the innings. Bumrah came to the fore again in the Melbourne victory claiming 6/33 and 3/53 in the first and second innings but others including Jadeja (2/45 & 3/82) also made sure Australia worked hard for every run.
Two years later in Melbourne, Bumrah was again the thorn in Aussies’ flesh but Ashwin, Siraj and Jadeja too kept their opponents on toes with a handful of wickets in both the innings. Injury ruled Bumrah out of the fourth Test in Brisbane but debutants T Natarajan and Sundar shone with the ball as India conquered fortress Gabba.
Ishant, Shami and Siraj were heroes in the Lord’s win in 2021 while Umesh Yadav, Thakur and Jadeja were the stars in the Oval win of the same series. Bumrah, Shami, Thakur, Ashwin and Siraj were equally good in the Centurion win in 2021. The same was the case with the Cape Town Test three years later when Siraj picked a six-wicket haul in the first innings.
With suspense continuing over Bumrah’s participation in the Edgbaston Test starting July 2, other India bowlers need to step up to control the slide and help the team put up a fight to stay alive in the five-match series.
Numbers game
11 matches India won in South Africa, England and Australia since their Johannesburg victory in 2018
4 Player of the Match awards went to Indian pacers in these victories. Bumrah won it twice while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Siraj claimed it one time each