India's toothless bowling at Lord's exposes Bumrah dependency, rings World Cup alarm bells

Star India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s absence during the third ODI against England proved costly for the Men in Blue as the hosts piled up the highest ODI score at Lord’s of 387/3 in their allotted 50 overs. Bumrah missed the fixture due to a knee injury, as India brought in Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh to bolster the pace attack.

The ongoing England series marked Jasprit Bumrah’s first appearance in ODIs since the World Cup 2023 final, and he returned figures of 1/31 in 9 overs and 1/45 in 10 overs in the first two matches.

However, without the senior speedster, the Indian bowling attack looked completely toothless during the third ODI as England batters dominated them right from the word go. Indian seamers were wayward right from the powerplay, bowling it short and wide to the English batters, who punished them with their marauding strokeplay.

Once Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett began attacking, there was hardly anything from the bowlers that troubled them, who conceded 12 wides in the first 15 overs. The duo went on to stitch a record stand for England against India in ODIs, adding 192 runs off just 181 balls for the first wicket.

Kuldeep Yadav's absence brings more scrutiny

There was more misery in the middle overs as a lack of an attacking spin option alongside Axar Patel (0/61) posed no threat to England, who continued to motor along in their innings. After Axar's four-wicket haul in the first ODI and another economical performance in the second match, the England batters didn't allow him to settle at Lord's, consistently employing sweeps and scoops.

The absence of Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI during the ongoing series has also raised questions about the team management. Kuldeep also played just one ODI against Afghanistan and wasn’t picked in the T20I squad for the Ireland and England series, where India failed to win a single match. Meanwhile, youngster Gurnoor Brar was ripped apart in the death overs, finishing with figures of 0/97 in ten overs, the most expensive bowling performance at Lord’s.

World Cup dream seems far-fetched

India conceded 62 runs off the last three overs, with Prasidh Krishna (2/69) and Prince Yadav (1/79) also being taken to the cleaners along with Arshdeep Singh (0/72). The dismal bowling show only rings alarm bells for the Men in Blue in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup 2027.

With the team management not considering veteran speedster Mohammad Shami for any format and Mohammad Siraj also rested for the series, the Indian bowling attack looks far from threatening. It again highlights how crucial Jasprit Bumrah's presence is in the Indian team, be it any format. 

Here's a comparison of India's performance in ODI cricket with and without Jasprit Bumrah since his debut on 23rd January 2016:

India’s ODI bowling performances with Jasprit Bumrah

India’s ODI bowling performances without Jasprit Bumrah since his debut

India’s ODI record with Jasprit Bumrah

India’s ODI record without Jasprit Bumrah