Word on the street is that Jasprit Bumrah might not play in the 2nd Test against England, which kicks off July 2nd in Birmingham.
Bumrah really put in work during the first match, bowling 44 overs. Even though India lost after leading for most of the game, he was clearly their best bowler, snagging five wickets in the first innings. If he’s out, it’s a big problem for India, who are already down 0-1 in the series.
People are calling for Bumrah to play, but coach Gautam Gambhir said before the team left for England that Bumrah would miss two of the five Tests to manage his workload.
Bumrah’s grabbed 78 Test wickets in 15 matches since the beginning of 2024, but it’s obvious he’s been pushed too hard. He’s bowled 410.4 overs in that time – the most of any fast bowler worldwide. For context, Mitchell Starc from Australia is second with 362.3 overs.
Gus Atkinson of England is second to Bumrah in wickets taken (54) since last year, but he’s only bowled 328 overs.
Looking at Indian bowlers, Mohammed Siraj has bowled 355.3 overs in the same number of matches as Bumrah. Even though he bowled 27 overs more than Atkinson, he has 14 fewer wickets.
Here’s a quick look at the bowlers who’ve bowled the most overs in Tests since early 2024:
- Jasprit Bumrah – 410.4 (78 wickets)
- Mitchell Starc – 362.3 (48 wickets)
- Pat Cummins – 359.1 (51 wickets)
- Mohammed Siraj – 355.3 (41 wickets)
- Gus Atkinson – 328 (55 wickets)
Ravindra Jadeja is the only other Indian bowler with 400+ overs (400.1).
There are some worries about Siraj; if Bumrah is out, Siraj will really need to step up. His last performance wasn’t great, and he was a bit unlucky with some DRS calls and dropped catches.