Key Points

With India yet to take a call on which Tests Bumrah, the top-ranked bowler in the format, will play in England as part of his workload management, Steve Harmison, the former England fast-bowler, believes if the fast-bowling spearhead plays at least four games, he can potentially replicate the performances showcased by Kagiso Rabada and Pat Cummins during the recent 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s.

“I look at the two bowling units and I think that's where this series is going to be won. If Jasprit Bumrah plays four Test matches, then he can do what we've just seen Kagiso Rabada and Pat Cummins do at Lord’s and in England’s overhead conditions. Obviously, Jasprit Bumrah is probably just ahead of those two in the pecking order of, in my opinion, the three best bowlers in the world.”

“If Jasprit does what Pat and Kagiso Rabada did, then it's going to be tough for England because I don't see England having that sort of standout world-class bowler. They've got some inexperience in their attack and five Test matches in six and a half weeks - it's going to be a long toil for both teams,” said Harmison in an exclusive conversation with IANS, organised by talkSPORT.

In nine Tests in England, Bumrah has picked 37 wickets at an average of 23.78. In his first Test in England in 2018, he picked a five-for as India emerged victorious at Trent Bridge. In 2021, Bumrah did pick up another five-for, though the game ended in a draw due to rain on the last day’s play.

At Lord’s, his slower ball to fox Ollie Robinson at a crucial juncture is still very much etched in everyone’s minds, though his blitzkrieg with the bat and an 89-run stand for the last wicket with Mohammed Shami took all the limelight.

Harmison further stated that if he was in the Indian team, he would ensure Bumrah would play in Headingley, while giving him rest in either the third or fourth game, depending on what the series scenario is for the visitors.

“It's easy to say now that you're only going to play three games, and then all of a sudden you're trying to manage him. I think there is a little bit of time between the first and second Test matches, so I don't see there being too much of an issue with that.”

“If he plays in the first two test matches and then has to miss one, like either the third or fourth one, I can guarantee that if the series is on the line, he will play the fifth one. So, when they say he's going to play three, I think that's good for the series. It wouldn't surprise me if he plays four and possibly misses the third or fourth Test match,” he said.

“But with the time in between the first and second Test matches, if I was India, I'd be making sure, yes, he's definitely playing in Headingley. That's a given - he has to play there. Then for me, he has to play at Lord’s because the way he bowls, he can be utilising the slope, like how Cummins and Rabada did. If you get some cloud cover in an afternoon in England, there'll be nobody more dangerous than Jasprit Bumrah, just like what the two bowlers from South Africa and Australia were,” he elaborated.

In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which India lost 3-1, it was mostly defined by the Bumrah versus Australia battle. Add to it, the relentlessness and intensity Bumrah brought into the series till a back injury prevented him from bowling in the second innings at Sydney, was missing from the support pacers.

While Bumrah took 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, other Indian pacers collectively picked 40 wickets while averaging 34.82. Overcast conditions in England make it an ideal place to find seam and swing, including with Dukes ball offering lateral movement.

Harmison believes the Indian pace attack will thrive in England and signalled Mohammed Siraj, who picked 20 wickets in Australia, is well-positioned to complement Bumrah.

“The English conditions from a bowler's point of view is a lot easier. Obviously, it's not as hot and humid, what Indian bowlers are used to. It's the air and breeze here which gives a little bit more time to recover in between the overs.

"It's not as hard on your body and feet. So, from that point of view, I think the Indian seam bowlers will enjoy bowling in England. The Dukes bowl is another contributing factor to why it gives bowlers energy because it moves more laterally,” he said.

“So, it naturally gives bowlers energy because you always think they're in the game. England's batters, the way they play is very aggressive and try to be dominant over bowlers, and that will give a huge amount of energy to Indian bowlers as they will be thinking we're in a contest here. Like in white ball cricket, when there are no real quiet passages, there are no quiet passages at any time when England play Test match cricket.”

“So, because of that, I think the seam bowlers of India will enjoy bowling in England. It'll just be a case of will India pick the right bowlers for the right surfaces in the right Test matches to put England under pressure? Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, I think the key component for me would be someone like Mohammed Siraj, who has got a lot of energy and moved the Kookaburra ball laterally.”

“I think he could be quite a dark horse if he gets it right early because he seems to be a confident bowler. If Mohammed Siraj starts the series well in Leeds, then you expect him to have a big summer. So, he's somebody I'm expecting to back up Jasprit Bumrah if he plays in that first Test match,” he concluded.

Live cricket commentary is available throughout the England v India series via the talkSPORT Cricket YouTube Channel.

- IANS