India are losing because Jasprit Bumrah is not there, simple as you like

India are losing because Jasprit Bumrah is not there, simple as you like

Paceman’s Absence Impacting Team Performance

India are losing because Jasprit Bumrah – India’s recent series in the UK has seen five matches, including a washed-out game, and two key observations emerge following four consecutive losses. The conditions have consistently challenged Indian batsmen, as they have in past encounters. However, the most striking trend is the team’s diminished effectiveness without Jasprit Bumrah’s presence.

Bumrah’s All-Round Genius

While they are competent bowlers, their performances fall short of Bumrah’s genius. They lack the leadership and instinct that define his impact on the game. Though all three are capable, they don’t appear to possess the same clutch ability or strategic flair as the star pacer.

Fans need not be reminded of some of Bumrah’s recent shows with the ball. In the 2026 T20 World Cup, in what was a virtual quarterfinal against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Bumrah took two wickets in an over to take at least 20 runs off their overall total. India won the match with 4 balls to go.

Against England in the semifinal at the Wankhede, he bowls the 18th over and against the dangerous duo of Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran concedes just six runs in a high-scoring contest to push Harry Brook’s team back decisively. In the 2024 T20 World Cup final, it looked as good as over for Rohit Sharma’s men when Bumrah bowled a terrific 15th over to reignite the entire bowling unit. In his next over, he cleaned up Marco Jansen to bring the team truly back into the contest.

Containing the Run Flow

Across formats, Bumrah’s influence is undeniable. His ability to restrict runs, even when not taking wickets, has been critical. For instance, in the 2024 World Cup final, Bumrah’s tight 15th over set the stage for Hardik Pandya’s crucial dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen in the following over. Similarly, in the semifinal against England earlier this year, Bumrah’s 18th over limited damage, allowing Pandya to remove Curran in the next.

Bumrah, even if he doesn’t take wickets, guarantees a tight over more often than not, puts the opposition under pressure, and other bowlers benefit from it. Hardik Pandya benefited from a tight 18th Bumrah over in the semifinal against England earlier this year and got rid of Curran in the next over.

Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana have leaked runs in the last two games at a combined economy rate of around 10. This highlights the void left by Bumrah’s absence. Prasidh Krishna, for example, gave away 0/57 against Ireland in the first game. In T20Is, wicket-taking is not the most important skill. Containing a side is equally important, if not more.

Team Struggles Without Bumrah

India is particularly missing Bumrah in the UK. The flat wickets and small boundaries make batting a survival task. When Bumrah is not there, the situation becomes totally hopeless, as seen in the last couple of weeks. He has largely been the reason behind India’s dominance in world cricket across formats in the last 7-8 years. The BCCI has not been able to find anyone who could even remotely match his skillset. But then someone like Bumrah can’t be produced by a system; they can only be helped by a system.

Prateek Srivastava’s Background

Prateek Srivastava is a senior sports journalist having been in the profession for two decades now. He started his print career with the India Today Group and later also worked for the Asian Age. In 2009, sensing the wind of change, he switched to digital media and joined Mobile ESPN. There, he covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 Hockey World Cup as a venue reporter. He also did plenty of voice-over work.

After leaving Mobile ESPN, Prateek went on to work for Cricketnext, Gocricket, and Cricbuzz. At Gocricket (Times Internet Limited), he covered the 2014 T20 World Cup from Bangladesh. There he also received a team leadership award, given at the end of the month. Prateek has also covered the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, this time working for Sportz Interactive. He also worked for Chinese giants Alibaba over two years and led their “Short News” content team at UC Browser.

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