There was a caveat before the Test series that Bumrah would appear in only three games, but which ones would these be was not specified by the team management
Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. Pics/Getty Images
Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer are like precious, potent arsenals which have to be used judiciously in a war called the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, a five-match Test series between India and England.
Both the pace bowlers have had their downside with injuries affecting their careers, especially in the longest format. It typifies how modern day cricket is cruel to overworked fast bowlers, especially if they have injury concerns.
There was a caveat before the Test series that Bumrah would appear in only three games, but which ones would these be was not specified by the team management. Having used up two of his three-match quota, it will be interesting to see if he chooses the next game at Manchester, with India trailing 1-2, or prefers another London venue, The Oval, where the series will finally conclude in the first week of August.
When captain Shubman Gill was asked after the defeat at Lord’s, he gave a non-committal answer, saying, “You will know soon. Jassi Bhai has been such a great asset for us and he has bowled with great heart. We always look forward to him leading the attack.”
However, the irony of this series so far is that India have lost both matches Bumrah has played, at Leeds and Lord’s, and won the Birmingham Test in his absence with the fast bowling duo of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj taking 17 of 20 wickets respectively. Thus, it will be interesting to see how the team management goes about using Bumrah in one of the remaining two Test matches.
Meanwhile, Archer, who played a Test match for England after five years due to elbow and back injuries, made an immediate impact at Lord’s. After the match, he said that he was hoping to play in the two remaining games and is most keen to be on the flight to Australia where the Ashes series will take place later this year: “I can play the other two if they let me. I don’t want to lose this series. I said I wanted to play the Test summer and I wanted to play the Ashes. One tick is already there and I’ll do everything possible to be on the plane to Australia in November.”
There is no doubt that both team managements have handled their senior fast bowlers with care and will continue using them as potent arsenal to win crucial battles in pursuit of winning the war.
The interesting thing is that 31-year-old Bumrah is way ahead of Archer in terms of experience and stats. Though just one year younger than Bumrah, Archer at 30, has played just 14 Tests and has only 47 wickets, while the Indian pacer has 217 wickets in 47 matches. Yet, in the current series, both hold equal importance for their respective sides.
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