As the rain clouds receded at Headingley, and the Indian bowling attack stepped out on the field, Jasprit Bumrah was once again instrumental in creating some serious pressure every time he had the ball in his hand. In his first spell, every ball of Bumrah’s was an event, he was creating at least a couple of opportunities for a wicket in every over he bowled. Three wickets, sending high quality batters walking back to the pavilion, all with deliveries that stunned them. But the biggest story of the day was again the fact that he was doing it all alone.
India had 471 runs on the scoreboard, one of the best starts that the team has gotten in an away Test series in recent history. The batters had done their job, now it was for the bowlers to create pressure from both ends. Instead, they got one bowler breathing fire and the others barely making a dent.
Bumrah scalped three sensational wickets, getting Crawley in the first over with a delivery that might be one of the best we’ve ever seen, then removing both Duckett and Joe Root after giving them nightmares with his precision. He had created three other opportunities but all in vain—one dropped catch by Yashasvi Jaiswal, another by Ravindra Jadeja and one was a no ball that gave Harry Brook another lifeline at the end of the day.
However, looking beyond the three wickets, no bowlers were able to capitalise on the pressure that Bumrah had built from the other end. Mohammed Siraj’s first over was below par, going for 23 runs in 3 overs, but he composed himself, came back and bowled consistently in his second spell, one that left Root struggling for a bit. Prasidh Krishna on the other hand, struggled throughout and for a moment it felt like we were all back in Sydney during the final Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. His 10 overs went for 56 runs, he was leaking runs, left and right.
England cashed in on the opportunity, Duckett and Pope adding 122 for the second wicket, with Pope finishing the day on 100*. But the point here is every time Bumrah took a break, England would get a breather, it was like flicking a switch.
It is a worrying trend that has continued, with no Mohammad Shami to take control and bowl disciplined lines, India’s attack looks thin. Bumrah has been doing the heavy lifting for a while, but this series is already high stakes, especially considering the premier bowler’s workload management. In order to get more breakthroughs, Bumrah cannot be overbowled again.
At Stumps, England were 209/3, trailing by 262. The match is still wide open, but India will know that unless someone else steps up with the ball on Day 3, this lead could vanish quickly. Pope is settled, Brook is fresh, and Stokes is yet to walk in. Bumrah gave India hope and balanced the scales at the end of Day 2 but cricket is a team game and Bumrah’s performance looks like a solo act.
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