I have been thinking for awhile about Jasprit Bumrah. He is the pre-eminent bowler in Indian cricket at the moment. His success is directly linked to the outcome of the game. India usually wins whenever Bumrah performs. However, the question is, has Bumrah been the bowler to whom the Indian captain goes to run through sides? Does Bumrah have the potential to pick up wickets by the bucketful? Is he wasting his talent and thereby dragging the team down? Whatever it is, time is running out for Bumrah.
Bumrah is 28 years old. He hardly has another 3-4 years of top flight cricket. Pace, energy & stamina will slowly go down beyond that. He is unlikely to be effective at that point. Hence, now is the time Bumrah will have to make the most of his abilities. Unfortunately, till date, Bumrah hasn’t performed at his optimum level. That is the plain truth. There is no two way to look at this. I will analyse only about his test credentials and for now, I am not willing to move into limited overs.
Lack of effectiveness defending a target
This was evident as recently as the test series in South Africa. In 2 consecutive tests, South Africa was set a target of above 200 and both the times, Bumrah failed to deliver in the last innings. To make matters worse, he was the most expensive bowler. It clearly shows that not only was he unable to pick up wickets, but he also wasn’t able to stem the flow of runs either. Bumrah gives the impression that he is satisfied in bowling the great spells that he is known for and account for a couple of batsmen and he feels content that he has played his part. For some reason, he is reluctant to take charge as the main weapon.
A similar lack of penetration happened in New Zealand a couple of years ago. Agreed that New Zealand were chasing a modest target of about 132 but the opening partnership was worth 91. It shows that Bumrah failed to give early wickets. It may not have changed the outcome of the game considering the target but atleast it may have scared the Kiwis. He again failed in the all important WTC final under extremely favourable conditions.
Conditions he may not get again
Bumrah must realise that these are conditions and situations which he may never get again in his career. He could have easily shown who the best bowler in the world is. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to. Indians who were waiting for a Bumrah special, were left with disappointment. In England during the WTC final and in South Africa.
In 27 tests, he has taken 7 5-fer and is yet to take a 10-fer though the average is damn good for an Indian bowler. 22.85. However, not a single 10 wicket haul in 27 games is hardly the stuff of a great bowler, leave alone a good one. Let us also remember the fact that he has played 21 tests in conditions favourable to the fast bowler. Not that many Indian bowlers have had this luxury in their careers.
Bumrah is protected and rightly so
The reason why Bumrah has only played 27 games is that he wasn’t preferred in India where Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav slogged. In other words, he was protected from burnout and rightly so. This is another good fortune that Bumrah has enjoyed. In other words, he has been taken care of by the board and the team management quite sufficiently. I am not for a second faulting that. He is a rare Indian fast bowler and every effort must be taken to preserve him. However, the reason he is preserved is that as and when the time comes for him to play a stellar role, he will be fit and raring to go. These are privileges that were never extended to any Indian bowler before.
Ofcourse, sports medicine has improved and there is a much better understanding of a bowler’s body but that does not mean that he can be content with what he has achieved so far. I am not for a minute suggesting that Bumrah is taking the game lightly. Far from it. Whenever, he is given the ball, he gives his 100%. There is no doubt about that. However, he must introspect where is he going wrong? Does he need a longer spell to make a real impact? Does he need to play more games so that the rhythm remains intact? These are questions only he can ponder and will have to find a solution.
Conclusion to time is running out of Bumrah
I do realise that taking a 10-fer is not that easy. Cummins for all his greatness and knowing inside out of the Australian wickets, still has only one 10-fer and he has played 10 more games than Bumrah. Boult & Southee, Bumrah’s contemporaries, haven’t taken only one each. Hazlewood hasn’t taken any in more than 60 games.
It goes onto show how difficult it is to take 10-fer in a test but that is also the benchmark for a truly great. Bumrah may just turnaround his fortunes and start the take wickets with alarming regularity. Having said that, if he is unable to amend his performance, he is likely to go down in history as one of those players who promised a lot but delivered just about average. Bumrah is too good a bowler to end up in this fashion. Hopefully, he introspects and realises that he needs to do more not just to earn his spot in history but to ensure more Indian wins.
He must also remember that whatever exploits he may have accomplished in IPL or even in the short formats, it is performance in test cricket that will ultimately, secure his legacy. Years from now, only his test achievements will be remembered and not the white ball ones unless it has come in ICC tournaments.
What do you think? Has Bumrah done enough that his talents warrant?