News Analysis
Old ball or new? Morne Morkel lobbed the question as Jasprit Bumrah rummaged through the Dukes box. “I’ll definitely take the new ball,” came the quick reply, Bumrah already half-smiling at the thought of it. Moments later, on the practice strip behind the Lord’s pavilion, he was down on one knee, arms aloft, appealing for an edge after a delivery that jagged past Karun Nair’s outside edge. Optional session or not, the India spearhead was switched on.
Bumrah has not bowled in a match since 24 June, the final afternoon at Headingley, where he finished with 43.4 overs split across two innings – five wickets up front, none second time round. Medical and coaching staff have asked him to play only three of the five Tests in this Anderson–Tendulkar series, mindful of that surgically repaired back. He skipped the Birmingham Test, a call that drew predictable groans back home, many fearing England would steam 2–0 ahead against an inexperienced visiting attack. The reality turned out calmer: India levelled the series, Shubman Gill’s side arriving at Lord’s in decent nick and noticeably lighter of mood.
None more so than Bumrah. He spent large chunks of Tuesday’s session cracking jokes, needling team-mates in friendly fashion. After Nitish Kumar Reddy found a bit of late away-shape, Bumrah piped up, “good one, Brett Lee.” Shardul Thakur responded by bending theatrically at Bumrah’s feet, the pair breaking into laughter.
The pleasantries stopped when the ball was in his hand. Bumrah bowled for close to an hour without a pause, mixing full-pace bursts with slower walk-backs to chat with Morkel and keeper Dhruv Jurel. It barely mattered that several first-choice batters – Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar – took the afternoon off, or that Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, heroes of Edgbaston, were also missing. Those who did face him – Nair, B Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Jurel – were repeatedly pressed, prodded and occasionally beaten.
Lord’s, of course, stirs fond memories. In 2021 Bumrah and Mohammed Shami produced that improbable, unbroken 89-run tenth-wicket stand that flipped a Test destined for stalemate, allowing India to set England an awkward target. Bumrah then removed Rory Burns with the fifth ball of the chase, later prising out Joe Root and Ollie Robinson with a wide-of-the-crease off-cutter that is still replayed whenever late-afternoon drama at the Home of Cricket is discussed. That surface, flat by English standards, still yielded reverse swing for him; variations did the rest.
The current strip wore a definite green tint on Tuesday, though the forecast points towards warm, dry days touching the low 30s Celsius. Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, expects the surface to be “challenging”, a polite nod to the likelihood of seam movement early on and uneven bounce as the match wears. Such variables have rarely fazed Bumrah. If anything, they make him hungrier.
Selection-wise, India have choices. Siraj is sure to return after a scheduled rest, while Akash Deep’s incisive new-ball spell in Birmingham complicates matters for Shardul Thakur, who offers batting depth but went wicketless last time. Bumrah’s workload management could even open a door for Mukesh Kumar later in the series. For now, though, the management see no reason to tinker: if Bumrah tells them the back is settled, he plays.
England, for their part, have not forgotten what happened here four summers ago. The hosts spoke publicly about “plans” for Bumrah in Leeds, only for the right-armer to bag a five-for on day two. Ben Stokes and his coaching group will view any residual rust from that three-week break as a window, but Tuesday’s evidence suggested there is not much of it. The wrist remained locked, the front arm pointed skywards, the ball coming out with that familiar snap. Nair, Sudharsan and Easwaran found themselves pushing tentatively, beaten on both edges.
Beyond the technical detail, the sight of Bumrah bowling freely is a psychological lift for India. Gill referred to him last week as the side’s “security blanket”, someone who can blunt momentum in a spell or two. The numbers back that up: since returning from back surgery last year, Bumrah has averaged a shade under 18 with the ball in Tests and conceded under 2.5 an over. Those figures carry particular weight at Lord’s, where run-rates can balloon if the ball goes soft.
There was a telling moment towards the end of the stint. Bumrah, slightly winded after a ten-ball burst, crouched at mid-pitch, checked his footing and asked Morkel for one last go with a newer ball. Another half-dozen deliveries followed, most drawing false strokes, one thudding into Easwaran’s thigh pad. Session over, handshakes done, he jogged off alone towards the home dressing room, pausing only to glance at the pavilion honours board. If the body holds, he fancies another entry up there by Sunday night.
