India need Jasprit Bumrah to do more than what's expected of him

India don't stand a chance in the 2024 T20 World Cup if Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t have an exceptional tournament. He is one player who can’t afford to have a bad game, especially against big nations. The Men in Blue won’t only need him to be economical but will also need him to pick wickets, lots of them. The pressure will be immense on the 30-year-old and that’s largely because of other fast-bowling options India have at their disposal.  

Everyone knows what Bumrah can do on the field. The ace paceman is a modern-day great, someone who is equally good in all three formats of the game. If we are talking about just T20Is, Bumrah is phenomenal and reliable across all three phases, something that can’t be said about Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj.

The aforementioned two are the only other frontline seamers in the Indian squad for the 20-over showpiece event in the United States of America and the West Indies, starting on June 1. Apart from these two, India also have Hardik Pandya, but the fast-bowling all-rounder has been in terrible form of late. There’s Shivam Dube as well, who didn’t bowl a single delivery in the IPL 2024. 

Considering everyone is well aware of Bumrah’s prowess in the 20-over format, there’s no point digging too deep into his overall numbers. Instead, what we can do is compare his recent numbers with the rest of the Indian seamers, and you will know why he needs to be at his absolute best in the T20 WC. The difference in quality between him and the others is enormous.

Mumbai Indians were one of the worst bowling units in the IPL 2024, but Bumrah had an insane season, claiming 20 wickets in 13 games at an average of 16.8 and a strike rate of 15.6. His economy rate of 6.5 (his best in an IPL season) was the best among 80 bowlers who bowled at least 10 overs in the tournament. The overall ER in the competition was 9.41. Bumrah operated at under six in seven of the 13 games he played in the IPL 2024.  

That’s not it. Bumrah had an economy of 7.2 or less in all three phases (powerplay, middle and death overs) of the game. What he did in the death overs was impressive, taking 11 wickets in 16.5 overs at an unbelievable economy rate of 6.5. If we look at 27 bowlers who delivered at least 10 overs in this phase, Bumrah’s economy was the best, too, by a big margin. The next best on the list had an economy of 8.6. 

Those are numbers to be proud of. Now, let’s look at what Siraj, Arshdeep and Pandya did in the IPL 2024. 

Siraj ended the season with an average of 33.1 and an economy of 9.2, while Arshdeep leaked runs at an economy of 10. Meanwhile, Pandya was even more terrible, taking 11 wickets @ 35.2.

Siraj did produce decent numbers (ER 8.6) at the death but was too inconsistent in the first two phases. Meanwhile, Arshdeep had a few good games but was far from his best. The left-arm seamer averaged 34 or more in the first two phases and then conceded runs at 12.1 in the final overs. Pandya, well, he had an economy of 10.4 or more in all three phases. 

These numbers should be enough to tell you why Bumrah can’t afford to breathe easy in the T20 World Cup. India have enough quality in the spin department but that’s not the case when it comes to fast bowling. Bumrah missed the last edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, and Rohit Sharma and Co. clearly felt his absence. The Men in Blue allowed England to chase a target of 169 without picking up a single wicket in the semifinal.

Since the last T20 World Cup, India have played 27 T20Is and Bumrah has featured in only two of them. In this period, the likes of Arshdeep, Mukesh Kumar, Umran Malik, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi, Avesh Khan, and a couple more seamers played multiple T20Is for India, but none of them showed enough consistency. Siraj did well in the four games he played but his recent form hasn’t been top-notch.

Speaking to the Times of India, the 1983 World Cup-winning all-rounder Madan Lal said: “I don't like the pace attack. Other than Jasprit Bumrah, it’s not that good. Siraj has done well (here and there), but his performances at the international level have been patchy. I think India are going weaker on the pacer side.

"If you look at the history, India performed well only when they had a good pace attack. Only then, they won a lot of matches. But I am not sure about Arshdeep, nor am I sure about Siraj. Pandya is not that effective either. The pace line-up is the weak link. Apart from Bumrah, we have to see how Siraj and Arshdeep bowl.”

Bumrah had a stellar ODI World Cup in 2023 and had Mohammed Shami with him, but even that wasn’t enough for India to lift the trophy. Shami is currently injured and you never know what you will get from Siraj and Arshdeep. Hence, Bumrah will have to do more than what’s expected of him. 

He doesn’t have a choice, neither do India.

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