20 days of intense Test cricket: Workload concerns rise for India, England bowlers

India Today

4 days ago

As India and England get ready to play for one last time in the 5-match Test series, let's remind ourselves once again how gruelling this series has been, especially for the bowlers of both teams.Going into The Oval, the main concern for both sides is the workload the respective teams have taken in the last month. At Lord's, the English bowling unit was barely able to walk up the stairs en route to their dressing room, and in Manchester, Jasprit Bumrah looked tired, out of sorts for the larger part of the overs that he bowled.advertisementFast bowling is anyway a difficult task to sustain for the body. But top it up with the extended Indian Premier League 2025, and then every single Test match going to 5 days, the seamers are not only running out of gas but are also at serious risk of copping injuries.
ESPNcricinfo reported that the Indian Cricket Board's medical team has suggested that star pacer Jasprit Bumrah be rested for the final Test match at The Oval, keeping future tournaments in mind. But where does that leave Mohammed Siraj, who has relentlessly given his all for the team over the past two years, punishing his body mercilessly in every single bilateral that India has played?And once again, it is very important to note that it is not only the Indian bowlers who are running the risk of injuries. The England bowlers, who have toiled for over 140 overs, might run a high risk of getting injured in the final match as well.A quick look at the bowling chart tells us that Jasprit Bumrah is not even in the top five amongst bowlers who have delivered the most balls in the series.Chris Woakes tops the charts with a whopping 167 overs in 4 matches. The seamer tirelessly bowled long spells alongside Brydon Carse (155 overs) and Ben Stokes (140 overs), handing England a 1-2 lead in 4 games.
The hosts, coached by Brendon McCullum, finally pulled the plug on Stokes, Carse, and Jofra Archer (88.3 in 2 Tests), resting them from the final Test match, despite the series being on the line.For India, the major concern is Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The duo have bowled the most number of overs among Indian seamers, clocking 119.4 and 139 overs respectively.While Bumrah's overall number of overs might seem lower than the highest workloads, the sheer fact that he has been brought in to bowl every time India have wanted or needed a wicket has to account for something. Bumrah has been expected to bowl full tilt every time he's taken the ball, and that really showed in the 4th Test match, where he barely clocked the speeds of 140 kmph.
However, if Bumrah is taken off the Indian team for the final Test, which might be a sensible call, perhaps a little mercy needs to be shown to Siraj as well, who has shown that he has the heart of a lion.It is perhaps time that India start being a little more intelligent with the choices of their line-ups in Test matches which are slightly lower in priority and slightly lower in stake, to hand auditions to bowlers that they think would serve the Indian Test team in the long run.With the way that matters have been handled in this series, India run the risk of handing Arshdeep Singh a debut in the final match of the series. It is not that debutant pacers have not done well for India, but the process of introduction needs to be better.As India and England prepare to play the final match of the Test series, one hopes that the bowlers, especially the ones that bowl fast, are okay at the end of this gruelling series.- EndsTune InMust Watch