India vs England, 1st Test: Jasprit Bumrah returns to Trent Bridge with fresh targets to meet

India vs England: The last time Jasprit Bumrah played a Test match at Trent Bridge, the India pacer picked up a five-wicket-haul.

India can consider it an advantage that they start a challenging Test series in England at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge on Thursday. It was at this venue that they registered their only win in the 1-4 series defeat on the 2018 tour.

Can Jasprit Bumrah rediscover his spunk? (Getty Images)

That win had also quickly firmed up Jasprit Bumrah’s stature as the bowling X-factor. The fast bowler had made a big impression on Test debut in South Africa early that year, but did not play in the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s due to a fractured thumb. With India losing both the games, anxiety grew in their camp.

Bumrah showed why the team was eager to have him fit as he took seven wickets and led India’s superb pace display in a 203-run win at Trent Bridge. It raised hopes that the team led by skipper Virat Kohli - he hit his second century of the series after making 97 in the first innings - can turn things around to produce a first series win in England since 2007 or at least force a draw.

In England, India have played the most Tests is Lord’s where their record is 18 played, two won and 12 lost. Their best win-loss percentage though is at Trent Bridge, with two wins, two losses and three draws.

Three years since that Trent Bridge high, Bumrah continues to be a factor in the calculations on the five-Test series. The team management and fans though will hope it is on the 27-year-old remaining the X-factor. Doubts remain because Bumrah, who has played 20 Tests with games picked carefully, taking 83 wickets at an average of 23.21, did not take a wicket in his last game.

That stood out because it was the World Test Championship defeat against New Zealand at Southampton in June. Bumrah wasn’t given the new ball in the second innings despite India defending a modest 138 runs and Ross Taylor was dropped on zero off his bowling with 54 runs needed in the tense chase.

Yet, Bumrah not taking a wicket bowling over 36 overs while New Zealand pacers were brilliant in seam-friendly conditions suggested his form was far from ideal. The match ended on June 23, and there has been a six-week gap since, but Southampton was an opportunity for India’s strike bowler to impress.

It wasn’t a one-off. Bumrah has struggled for his best since he was sidelined due to a back injury in 2019. It eventually did not require surgery, but kept Bumrah out for months and he hasn’t looked his old sharp self since then.

He struggled on the New Zealand Test tour in early 2020, taking only six wickets in two Tests as India lost the short series 0-2. Bumrah shouldered a heavy workload, bowling 61 overs (compared to Umesh Yadav’s 32 and Mohammed Shami’s 29). Ishant Sharma bowled 23.2 overs in the one Test he played.

Many experts had feared Bumrah’s unique action could cause undue stress and lead to back trouble, which would then blunt his sharpness. The Australia Test tour late last year started in a promising manner as he took six wickets in the second Test win in Melbourne. But an abdominal strain in the third Test in Sydney ruled him out of the historic Brisbane Test where India pulled off a win for the ages.

How Bumrah turns up at Trent Bridge will be crucial as India’s pace attack for the WTC final not having Siraj had caused a debate. Picking Ishant Sharma ahead of him was questioned as Siraj can swing the ball at decent pace and from a good height. Siraj had also impressed on debut in Australia that he had the knack of taking wickets and was unfazed stepping into big shoes. Still, it will be a big call if Ishant is required to make way as he has a lot of experience after playing three series here.

As India hit the Trent Bridge nets on Monday, the Indian cricket board tweeted a picture of Bumrah in his bowling load-up wearing his batting pads on. The fast bowler had reached Nottingham after a good outing in the warm-up game against a County selection. The picture is a fun shot, though all eyes will be more on how the Dukes ball he holds in his hand works for him when play is called.