Not too long ago, India bragged of an enviable fast bowling set-up. The five-prong pace-attack comprising Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj had even surpassed the Australian trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood as the most dominating fast-bowling arsenal seen in world cricket since the legendary West Indian quartet from the 1980s.
Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri’s plan was simple yet straightforward. To make picking 20 wickets a norm for India in Test matches, home or abroad.
But ever since Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain and Bharat Arun called time on his tenure as bowling coach, despite the promise shown by bowlers, Indian pace bowling lacks depth, with injuries and a drop in pace being the biggest concerns. Akash Deep missed the fourth Test in Manchester due to a groin injury, while all-rounder Nitish Reddy, more than a handy right-arm medium pacer, pulled up his hamstring. Harshit Rana, for some reason, was picked last-minute in India’s squad but was mysteriously released ahead of the start of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, while Arshdeep Singh, like Abhimanyu Easwaran, never got a game either.
Which brings us to the question: Who are in India’s fast-bowling reserves? Given the frequency of Shami’s injuries, his career is all but over, unless a miracle saves it. Harshit is capable of cracking in the 140s, and even mid-140s – but his knack for erring is a bit too much. It is only a matter of time before Arshdeep breaks into the Playing XI, but besides him, the options are limited. Bowling with pacer, considered an essential element of being a fast bowler, is an area the India team is likely to sweat over the most.
“Not many in domestic cricket could touch even 135 kph, the minimum you need in Test cricket,” an Indian support staff member told The Indian Express.
Where is India’s next stock of fast bowlers?
No one exemplifies this confession more than Anshul Kamboj. The Haryana pacer, picked on the back of a stellar show in India’s domestic circuit, proved to be a massive failure of the team management. Sure, he picked up a wicket, but as the England batters began pummelling India, Kamboj’s pace and shoulders both dropped. Even hitting 130 kph became a rarity for the 24-year-old, his struggles bringing back memories of Pankaj Singh’s woeful outing in England more than a decade ago.
Akash showed a lot of promise, right from his Test debut against England last February. He was making the ball zip and ping in Birmingham. But the moment England switched on their Bazball mode, Akash became a pale shadow of his free-flowing self. Prasidh Krishna, despite his wicket-taking ability, bleeds runs more often than he keeps it quiet. While there is no shortage of promise, they are far from being a finished product.
A look at India’s fast-bowling options outside the players mentioned above cuts a grim picture. Umran Malik, after an outstanding IPL 2022, has faded, and how? Khaleel Ahmed last played for India in July 2024. Mukesh Kumar, for reasons known only to the selectors and the management, never played a match for India after last year’s T20I. One can count the names on the tip of the fingers. And yet, none of them is ready for the same grind that Siraj or Bumrah go through.