There was never much doubt that Jasprit Bumrah would be handled carefully this summer, and nothing that happened during the Headingley defeat has shaken India’s plan to use him in only three of the five Ashes-style fixtures. The bigger question, much discussed since England knocked off 251 with time to spare, is how the rest of the seamers will take 20 wickets once their spearhead is on the sidelines.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, speaking the morning after Leeds, argued that a little perspective is required. “This bowling attack has one bowler with five Tests under his belt, one has four, one has played two and one hasn’t yet debuted,” he reminded reporters, a gentle defence of Prasidh Krishna, whose run-a-ball economy rate drew harsh scrutiny despite improved use of the bouncer in the second innings.
“We will have to give them time,” Gambhir continued. “Earlier, we used to have four fast bowlers in the squad with an experience of more than 40 Tests. It doesn’t make such a big impact in one-day or T20 matches, but when you go to Australia, England or South Africa for Tests, experience matters. These are early days.
“If we start judging our bowlers after every Test, how will we develop a bowling attack? Outside Bumrah and [Mohammad] Siraj, we don’t have that much experience, but they have quality, which is why they are in this dressing room. But we have got to keep backing them because it’s not about one tour. It’s about building a fast-bowler battery that can serve India for long time in Test cricket.”
That battery looked a bit flat late on day five, when Bumrah was held back even after the second new ball became available with only 22 required. Gambhir insisted the decision was consistent with a broader workload policy. “I think for us to manage Bumrah’s workload is more important because there’s a lot of cricket going forward and we know what he brings to the table as well,” he said. “So before he came on this tour, it was already decided that he’s going to play three Test matches, but let’s see how his body turns up. But we haven’t decided which two other Test matches he’s going to play.”
For the coach, the bigger picture still looks encouraging. “We absolutely have the bowling attack. We believe in them. We trust in them. When we pick the squad, we pick the squad on trust, not on hope. Those are inexperienced bowlers, but they will keep getting better, and we saw in this Test match as well that, for the first four days, we were in a position, and even on day five we were in a position, where we would have won the Test match. So we believe and we trust that we can. These boys will deliver for us.”
Prasidh’s pace and bounce, plus Shardul Thakur’s all-round value, remain central to those plans. “I think Prasidh bowled really well,” Gambhir maintained. “He got us crucial wickets as well. We picked him because we thought that he’s got something different. He’s got that bounce, and in the first innings, I think he used that bounce really well, even in the second innings. He’ll keep getting better with experience. He’s got all the ingredients of being a very good bowler, best bowler, which he had shown in Australia in Sydney and here as well.”
Whether the faith is repaid at Old Trafford, where Bumrah is tipped to sit out, will depend on how quickly the young quicks learn. For now, Gambhir’s message is simple enough: patience, not panic.
