Bharath Ramaraj
What is the blueprint to win Test matches in South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand? Yes, having a batting unit that can handle alien climes is important. Even more significant is to have a pace attack with variety. So, while considering the prevailing conditions in England, what could be India’s pace arsenal for the forthcoming England tour? At Revportz, we list out the possible Indian pace battery for the Test series.
Jasprit Bumrah – It is a foregone conclusion that the Indian spearhead is a guaranteed starter. The ace fast bowler has all the tricks up his sleeve. However, he has just made a return to competitive cricket from a back injury. And he has also been playing in a different format – T20 cricket. So, Bumrah has to again build the muscle memory of bowling Test-match lengths.
With the Indian Premier League (IPL) being postponed, Bumrah has a small window to get back to his training workshops. In that regard, he can also look to partake in India A games before the England series.
Mohammed Shami – The fast bowler has been an integral part of the Indian set-up for more than a decade. However, he isn’t getting any younger and he has had his share of injuries. Since his return from a serious ankle injury, Shami hasn’t looked at his incisive best. He seems to have lost a hint of nip. During the 2025 IPL, there was also a graphic shown by the host broadcaster that encapsulated the point that Shami was extracting less seam movement compared to the previous two years.
Moreover, Shami’s record in England doesn’t make for a good reading either. He averages 42.14 in that country. One of the reasons could be that he tends to bowl mostly around the good length spot. It might work in the Highveld, in South Africa, especially when the cracks open up in the second innings. But in English conditions, ideally, Shami needs to bowl it a tad fuller. The veteran fast bowler also hasn’t developed a potent wobble-seam delivery, which could yet again play a crucial role in England. Having said all that, India would back his wealth of experience.
Mohammed Siraj – Siraj wasn’t exactly at his best during the Australian tour. Although, at times, he bowled penetrative spells, he couldn’t maintain his control for long periods. From that perspective, the Indian think-tank would be pleased with how Siraj went about his job in the IPL, where his bowling mechanics seemed to be in good order.
At his best, Siraj is a valuable member of the Test line-up, especially abroad. He has enough skills in his quiver. One of them is the three-quarter seam weapon; a delivery that has caused considerable damage in SENA countries.
Arshdeep Singh – The left-arm pacer is yet to make his Test debut. The Indian coaching staff could still be tempted to pick him in the squad as he has the ability to swing the ball late, along with possessing the left-arm angle.
Some bowlers swing it from the arm and others a little bit later. An example of Arshdeep’s traits could be observed during the Wanderers T20I in South Africa. Even in the 2025 IPL, on occasions, he found late movement in Mullanpur.
On the flip side, Arshdeep has been struggling a bit with the inswinger. Fingers-crossed, he will get the feel back with his inswinger. The subplot to the inswinger is that he might just trouble the likes of Joe Root and Harry Brook with it. If you dig deeper, last year, both the mainstays of the England line-up were removed by Vishwa Fernando, with the inswinger, at The Oval.
Prasidh Krishna – If India are contemplating bringing in some variety into the attack, then Prasidh could come into the equation. This point of possessing bowlers with different skill sets gains significance in the context of England preparing some batting-friendly decks in the last few years.
The tall pace bowler snaps his back and hits the deck hard. Although swing bowling will never be his forte, on occasions, he has showcased his skills on the front too. The deliveries to Cameron Bancroft and KL Rahul this year give enough evidence for it. In the past, there have been question marks over his temperament, but in the IPL he bounced back after being hit quite a few times. On present form, he might have the edge over the other hit-the-deck option in Harshit Rana.
Akash Deep/Mukesh/Kamboj – This is the toughest one to pick as all three have some strengths and weaknesses. For instance, both Akash and Mukesh base their methods on Shami’s template. However, neither of them can bowl as quick as peak Shami. The duo also get relatively less nip than Shami. There have also been concerns over Akash’s tendency to bowl it a touch shorter, resulting in a lot of beats.
Anshul Kamboj, the third of the seamers, invariably makes the batter play from ball 1. Logic says probably pick one out of those three bowlers. There are two reasons behind it. One of them is that it is better to have a group of bowlers who do different things with the ball. Secondly, there is a school of thought that the current set of English batters prefer to face a slew of medium-pacers who bowl in the range of 130-135 kph.
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While the suspension of the IPL is a blow for Indian cricket, it could well turn out to be a blessing in disguise for members of the Test squad that will travel to England in June. The pace bowlers could be the main beneficiaries.
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