The stage is now set for the high-octane Lord’s Test, and all eyes are naturally back on Bumrah. And the pacer cannot wait to bowl at the Mecca of Cricket. In India’s first net session since their historic win at Edgbaston on Tuesday, bowling coach Morne Morkel posed a question to him: old ball or new ball?
Bumrah had no doubt about his choice. “I will definitely take the new ball,” he told Morkel. Moments later, Bumrah bowled a vicious delivery that took an outside edge from Karun Nair after hitting the good length spot.
Bumrah last bowled on 24th June at Headingley, Leeds. He ended that match having bowled 43.4 overs. His workload management is a pre-planned activity. As announced earlier, he will play three out of the five Tests in England. Although the Indian team management received a lot of flak for not considering him at Edgbaston, especially when India were trailing the series 0-1, that criticism died down after Akash Deep and Siraj ensured his absence was not felt.
At Lord’s, Bumrah bowled close to an hour without a pause, even though several Indian batters – including captain Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant – chose not to hit the nets. Bumrah tested the likes of Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Dhruv Jurel.
Bumrah has fond memories of Lord’s. On his first England tour in 2021, he played a pivotal role in India’s thrilling win. Although he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, his unbroken 89-run second innings partnership for the final wicket with Mohammed Shami helped India set a challenging target for England. He then returned to pick up three wickets, including those of Rory Burns, then England captain Joe Root, and Ollie Robinson.
At Lord’s, Bumrah bowled close to an hour without a pause, even though several Indian batters – including captain Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant – chose not to hit the nets. Bumrah tested the likes of Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Dhruv Jurel.
