Saturday 26 / July / 2025
New Delhi: Former England star Jonathan Trott believes India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been "unlucky" against his former side in Manchester, and the lack of support from the other end has further hampered his chances of success in the fourth Test.
Bumrah, with his usual swagger, looked threatening with the Dukes but failed to force a fault to push for a wicket in England's top five. He had to toil hard for his first wicket of the Test and eventually found it in the form of young Jamie Smith after 28 overs.
Even when fortune didn't stand by Bumrah's side, being bereft of support augmented the burden on his shoulders. It was evident during the initial phase of England's innings, when he contained Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, but Anshul Kamboj heavily leaked boundaries on the leg side.
"Bumrah's areas were pretty good, and his economy reflects that; he was just a bit unlucky. But the bigger issue is pressure from both ends. Bumrah benefits massively when there's support at the other end, and that wasn't the case today. When you're slightly under par as a bowling unit, like India were, control from both ends becomes crucial," Trott said as quoted from JioHotstar.
Trott offered a solution to remedy the lack of pressure and felt it would be best for the 31-year-old to bowl in tandem with a spinner, either Ravindra Jadeja or Washington Sundar.
"I'd have liked to see Bumrah bowl in tandem with spin from the other end, either Washington or Kuldeep, to build pressure. But with runs constantly leaking from the opposite side, England's batters didn't feel the kind of pressure we've seen Bumrah create in the past," he added.
After the end of day three, England stood in a commanding position with 544/7 on the board and in possession of a healthy 186-run lead. With two days left to play, a draw or a defeat is slowly becoming the most plausible outcome. Despite the odds, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar doesn't see India settling for a draw but pushing for victory.
"India won't be thinking of a draw, they'll be hoping for the sun to be out so they can pile on runs and put pressure back on England. The surface is showing signs of uneven bounce, so it could get tricky for some bowlers. Chris Woakes may not be as effective, but Ben Stokes will still need to bowl a lot of overs," he said.
"Jofra Archer's tall action and ability to target the stumps could prove dangerous, especially if the ball stays low. And watch out for Liam Dawson, not necessarily for unplayable deliveries, but he'll play a crucial role in England's bowling strategy," he added.
