Jasprit Bumrah has been told ‘no’ throughout his career.
Want to make it big with a quirky action? Not likely.
Want to play all three formats? You’re just a white-ball bowler.
Want to be a bowling superstar in a country obsessed with batters? Fat chance.
Want to come back from injury, again and again and again, and still be as good a bowler as you were? Not going to happen.
Every step of the way, Bumrah has proved naysayers comprehensively wrong. In the last Test India played, Bumrah’s back finally gave way. He had been carrying the load of his country’s hopes for so long that something had to give. When he walked off the field in Sydney, no one knew how long he would be away, and how his bowling would hold up when he returned. But when India next played a Test, Bumrah turned up with 5 for 83.
Those figures are deceptive because they could have been so much more. Bumrah was bowling with all the venom, guile and skill of old, but his team could not seem to hold their catches off him. Eventually, he just did it himself, castling England’s last batters. It is thanks to Bumrah that India still have parity against England after three days’ play in the first Test at Headingley.
Without Bumrah, India were looking at conceding a potentially big lead.
Which is a disquieting sentence for India because one of the fallouts of Bumrah’s breakdown in Sydney is that he has to be a lot more careful about managing his body, and he will not be available for all five Tests in England. India have to learn to survive without Bumrah.
“I played for India on my belief”
Bumrah, the bowler, is irreplaceable. But when he’s absent, maybe the rest of the team can channel some of Bumrah’s belief.
“I played for India on my belief. I have played every format on my belief,” Bumrah said after play on Sunday (June 22). “Because people have only told me ‘no’. First, they said you won’t be able to play, then they said you will last only six months, then only eight months. And just like that, I have spent 10 years in international cricket and 12-13 years playing IPL. People still say the same thing, ‘He will go now’. Well, they can keep waiting. I’m not going to think about that at all. I’ll just do my work. Every three-four months, news will come that I’m done now. (Shrugs) Let’s see. Till it is written in my destiny, I will play. I do my best preparation and leave the rest up to god.”
But even if you cannot replicate Bumrah’s skills, the Indian team faltered in their ability to at least support their most valuable player to the best extent possible.
The domino effect of India’s dropped chances
There is a heavier price to be paid for dropped catches by India than just the runs scored by the reprieved batter.
The pitch at Headingley has not been of any great help to bowlers. Bumrah created several chances despite that. Every dropped catch meant that much longer of a bowling stint.
On a helpful pitch, the next wicket might not be too far away. On a batting pitch, the effect of each dropped chance is exponential.
Bumrah had four catches dropped off his bowling. India could have had a lead of 150 runs instead of the six they got, and Bumrah’s workload could have been much shorter. This is what happened at the MCG in 2024-25. A lot of drops, a sharp increase in the overs, Bumrah was asked to bowl, and a breakdown in the next Test at SCG.
Bumrah himself was philosophical about the drops. “You can’t really sit down and cry, isn’t it? You have to move forward in the game… Nobody is dropping catches purposely. I don’t want to create a scene or put more pressure on the fielder – that I’m angry, I’m kicking the box… It’s okay, it’s part and parcel of the game.”
But while Bumrah can move on, Team India must make it a priority to address the rash of drops. It will cost them in the game, but it could have longer-term effects on their most prized asset.
The Aura
If India does go on to win the first Test, they will again have to depend on Bumrah’s genius. He himself doesn’t think in those terms, though.
“If I start to play on everybody else’s expectations, that ‘This is my name and this is my ranking and this is how I’m supposed to bowl’ – then I’m carrying a lot of baggage, and that’s very difficult to carry,” Bumrah smiled. “I ask myself this question at night. Did I give it my absolute best? If the answer is yes, I quietly go back to sleep.”
Based on that, Bumrah will at least get a good night’s rest every single day.