Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah looked a shell of himself during the fourth Test against England in Manchester. The Ahmedabad-born bowler has bowled 28 overs in the contest so far, taking one wicket and giving roughly 100 runs.
Michael Vaughan said that Jasprit Bumrah lacked the crispness and penetration he demonstrated in the third Test at Lords.
He also likened Bumrah’s performance to that of England’s Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes, claiming the Indian pacer failed to get enough out of a responsive Old Trafford surface.
“I have to say, Jasprit Bumrah has looked good and playable today. He doesn’t have the same oomph that he had off the surface at Lord’s when he bowled that amazing session, and it’s the pace that Bumrah lacks, unlike Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer,” Vaughan told the BBC.
The right-arm pacer reached a significant milestone during the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, becoming only the third Asian bowler to take 50 Test wickets in England. He joined the elite company of Pakistan’s Wasim Akram (53 wickets) and India’s Ishant Sharma (51 wickets). Bumrah achieved the feat in just 12 matches, with an impressive average of 26.38 and an economy rate of 2.79.
At the end of Day 3, Bumrah had bowled 15 overs, conceding 48 runs and taking the wicket of Jamie Smith. His overall figures in the match so far stand at 1 for 95 from 28 overs.
Bumrah returned to action in this series following an injury layoff after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 in Australia, where he was in outstanding form, picking up 32 wickets at a staggering average of 13.06, including two four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls.
In the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the speedster has not been as effective, taking 13 wickets in five innings at an average of 26.69. He is currently the third-highest wicket-taker in the series, with two five-wicket hauls to his name.