
India's Seam Performance at Edgbaston: A Closer Look
Bumrah's Brilliance and the Evolving Metrics of Impact
India's most recent Test series in Australia saw Jasprit Bumrah deliver one of the all-time great performances by a fast bowler, snaring 32 wickets at a barely believable average of 13.06. In stark contrast, the rest of India's seam attack collectively managed only 40 wickets at a much higher average of 34.82, a disparity that contributed significantly to India's 1-3 defeat.
The Leeds Struggle and the Strategic "Good Length" Attack
The narrative remained consistent in the opening Test in Leeds. Bumrah picked up five wickets at an average of 28, despite going wicketless on the final day, and maintained an impressive economy rate of 3.21 runs per over. The other three seamers, however, managed only nine wickets collectively, costing 53.56 runs apiece at an economy rate of 5.24 runs per over.
Siraj vs Bumrah at Headingley
Bowler | Balls | Figures | False shot % | Figures (off FS) | % good length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
J Bumrah | 262 | 5/140 | 25.1 | 5/34 | 55.6 |
M Siraj | 246 | 2/173 | 27.8 | 2/34 | 54.0 |
Siraj and Akash Deep: Stepping Up
In Bumrah's absence in the second Test, Mohammed Siraj bravely stepped up to fill the void on what was one of the flattest pitches seen in England in recent times. The Edgbaston Test ranked as the second-worst in terms of swing and seventh-worst in terms of seam movement for pacers in England during the ball-tracking era, since Ashes 2005.
Seamers in Edgbaston Test
Player | Balls | Runs given | Wkts | % good length | % hitting stumps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M Siraj | 194 | 121 | 7 | 52.3 | 20.1 |
A Deep | 254 | 179 | 10 | 46.6 | 14.5 |
CR Woakes | 236 | 140 | 2 | 45.3 | 14.8 |
PM Krishna | 163 | 108 | 1 | 34.5 | 7.9 |
BA Stokes | 160 | 96 | 1 | 33.1 | 11.8 |
Nitish Kumar Reddy | 36 | 29 | 0 | 27.7 | 13.8 |
JC Tongue | 260 | 208 | 4 | 26.3 | 11.8 |
BA Carse | 216 | 139 | 2 | 25.1 | 8.3 |