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Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami has called upon the Indian bowlers to provide better support to Jasprit Bumrah, following India's five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Leeds. Shami, who was not selected for the five-match tour of England, stressed on the need for India's bowling department to elevate their performance, noting that the other bowlers did not provide sufficient support to Bumrah in the opening match. While Bumrah performed exceptionally well, claiming a five-wicket haul in the first innings and being watchful in the second innings where he went wicketless, the other bowlers failed to consistently pressure the English batsmen in both innings. Consequently, India was unable to defend a target of 371 runs and now trails in the series.
Shami suggested that the bowling unit needs to engage in discussions with Bumrah, re-evaluate their strategies, and aim to provide maximum support to the number one-ranked Test bowler.
"In bowling, other Indian bowlers should talk to Bumrah and learn from him. They should talk about planning with him and support him. If they will support Bumrah, then we can easily win the match. If I talk about the first match, then I think we need to do a little work in the bowling," Shami said on his YouTube channel.
The experienced fast bowler praised the contributions of Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur, who each secured two wickets on the fifth day of the match. However, he pointed out that despite Thakur’s notable efforts, they came too late, as the game had already slipped out of India’s control by that stage.
"Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets each in the 2nd innings, but by the time Shardul dismissed two England batters, the match was out of India’s reach," Shami further said.
The 34-year-old cricketer stated that India’s batting strength is on par with England’s, a point the team demonstrated during the first Test match. However, he emphasised that if India have to return to winning ways, the bowling unit must step up and provide better support to Bumrah.
"Everyone says that batting in England is difficult, but our batters are doing fine, and we need to think more about bowling and fielding. Bumrah ka saath dena hoga. It is very important to take wickets with the new ball. Bhut zaruri hai ki Bumrah ka koi saath de. England won the first Test because we gave too many easy runs. We need to find out how to make our bowling side strong," the 34-year-old signed off.
However, a report from Indian Express suggests that Bumrah might end up missing the second Test against England due to workload management. In that case, other Indian bowlers will have to take up the onus on their shoulder and deliver for India in the absence of their pace maestro to keep them afloat in the five-match contest. Notably, the second Test between India and England will kick off from July 2 in Birmingham.
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