India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has looked like a pale shadow of himself in the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. On a pitch that has variable bounce, Bumrah was expected to get India off to a strong start after they posted a good score of 358 under overcast conditions.

However, much to everyone’s surprise, Bumrah failed to live up to the expectations as England batters saw off his threat and continued to milk others for runs and now have an imposing total on the board.

It was almost as if the world’s number-one fast bowler was running in without any purpose as he was too wayward with his line and length and drifted onto the pads more often than not. After struggling to leave a mark on Day 2, the speedster started Day 3 well, holding his line, but once again failed to open his account.

To make matters worse, Bumrah’s speeds kept going down with every over, and he even had to end his second spell prematurely after just one over as he went off the field. Bumrah did return after some time but was seen feeling his ankle and walking gingerly, a sight which raised concerns among Indian fans all around the globe.

Bumrah’s speeds became a glaring concern as he’s bowled just one delivery in excess of 140 kmph in Manchester as opposed to the previous two matches in Leeds and London, where he clocked over 140 quite consistently.

Bumrah bowling 140-plus kmph in this series

Headingley: 106 out of 266, 39.84%

Lord’s: 69 out of 257, 26.84%

Old Trafford: 1 out of 173, 0.57%

A major shift in conditions during 2nd innings

Moreover, Bumrah’s effectiveness against England’s top order also came under question as his numbers showed stark contrast while bowling against the top order and the tail. The speedster averages a whopping 41.66 against the top seven batters in the series so far, as opposed to 7.16 against the tail. Hence, after Bumrah failed to run through England’s top order once again, his wicket-taking ability was questioned by fans all over social media.

However, is it okay to fault Bumrah? The conditions in Manchester changed drastically as England came out to bat in their first innings. While England bowled the majority of their overs under cloud cover with their captain Ben Stokes making the ball dance to his tunes, making full use of the conducive conditions, India had to bowl under bright sunshine as the conditions eased out for batting.

The entire Day 3 had clear skies, and England batters literally made hay while the sun shone. Former India batter Sunil Gavaskar described it as India not having the ‘rub of the blue’ in this game as they were made to bat under gloomy skies. Hence, there was a sudden change in conditions, but that shouldn’t hide the fact that India were all over the place with the new ball and could’ve bowled better.

Workload a major concern?

Bumrah has bowled 28 overs in the innings so far, which is the second most he’s delivered since his comeback from a back stress fracture in 2023, with the highest being 28.4 in Melbourne 2024. Expected to bowl another spell on Day 4, he will most likely surpass that too in the first session.

He and Siraj have done the majority of the heavy lifting for the team, with the latter having bowled 26 overs in the innings so far. On the other hand, Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj have bowled the 29 overs between them so far.

The most Bumrah has bowled in a Test series since his comeback was during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 (151.2 overs), which eventually led to his injury in the last Test match.

Hence, the workload also seems to be taking a toll on the speedster, with the debutant Kamboj also finding it tough at the international level. Despite that, he gave his all in his last spell of the day as he was charging in with intensity and also managed to take his first wicket after bowling a whopping 23 overs.

Reflecting on Bumrah’s lacklustre show, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that it might be the excessive workload which may have resulted in the drop in speed for the fast bowler.

“I think for a fast bowler, it does take a toll on his body and he’s bowled a lot of overs. Don’t forget he’s bowled a lot of overs in hot conditions under hot sun, it’s not easy. That effort at Lords in particular, I think he really gave his everything because recognising that India must win this game to get a lead and they did a very good job restricting England to 192. So I think that would have taken a toll on his body. So I think maybe that’s the reason,” said Gavaskar on Sony Sports.

Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel felt that it was the lack of support from the other end, which resulted in Bumrah’s below-par showing.

“Bumrah is a highly skillful guy—he wants to create things for us with the ball. But at the end of the day, we need support from the other end as well. That’s been a big issue in this bowling innings—we’re struggling to build pressure from both ends. For him to be truly successful, we need to build bowling partnerships. Other guys need to step up and support him,” said Morkel in the press conference at the end of Day 3.

Bumrah isn’t a magic wand—he needs support

Furthermore, Morkel praised Bumrah for his valiant efforts and again stressed that the rest of the bowlers couldn’t sustain pressure.

“At times, I think the others are trying a bit too hard—maybe being a little greedy, looking for wickets instead of building pressure, and that ends up releasing it. But you can’t fault Bumrah. He’s the number one bowler in the world. He’s incredibly skillful, and while you won’t always get the wickets, you need that support at the other end to make it count,” he added.

After a lacklustre bowling show, India find themselves way too behind in the Test match as England have already taken a 186-run lead. The Day 3 in Manchester was again a stark reminder of the fact that Bumrah isn’t the magic wand that can make up for the tactical blunders of the team.

The speedster has carried the weight of Indian bowling all alone on his shoulders in recent times, and it’s up to the rest of the pack to provide him the support on his off days. While some of the biggest batters were allowed to fail, the scrutiny on Bumrah’s wickets column has been immense, despite him being the best bowler in the world since his comeback.

India have been blessed with a once-in-a-generation bowler in their lineup, and must utilise him well if they’re to change their fate in Tests amid the ongoing turmoil.

– Ends