During India’s high-intensity training session on Wednesday, a couple of days prior to the start of the second Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, following India’s two marquee pacers was a study of contrasts. Mohammed Siraj, fresh off a confidence-boosting England Tour in which he played a starring role, could be seen chirping constantly. Bowling coach Morne Morkel had his ear and an arm around his shoulder; while bowling at full tilt, he still had a wink here and a nudge there, always ready to endear himself to his teammates, proving his on-field theatrics are every bit a part of his personality. Jaspirt Bumrah, widely acknowledged as the best bowler in the world and India’s pace spearhead across all formats, generally preferred to be left alone. Neither one to take too much advice nor one to go seeking his teammates in jest, Bumrah, anyway bowling fewer deliveries to protect his body, almost retreated into the background during the lively session. Under coach Gautam Gambhir and new captain Shubman Gill, this Indian side sailed relatively smoothly during a tricky transitional moment. The 2-2 series draw in England allowed an inexperienced team some reprieve from the glare of the public eye. And now, as they go forward looking for the right combination, it is clear that the Bumrah-Siraj duopoly will be crucial to this team’s future fortunes, both at home and abroad. Especially when they lack both quality and bench strength among the rest of their seamers. This week’s Delhi Test, against iffy opposition, may act as another dry run for the development of their playing relationship that could be crucial over the next 15 months as India travel for Tests to Sri Lanka and New Zealand, before hosting Australia. On the eve of the Delhi Test, Gill emphasised that among the most important plans he is formulating alongside Gambhir is to improve in the fast bowling area. “The idea is to have a bunch of 15-18 top players from whom we can pick the right squad. Like at the moment, we have a pool of good fast bowlers and we want to be able to keep recruiting them so that they get enough opportunities,” he told reporters. Future planning may rest on creating a deeper pool, but there is little doubt about who the match-winners are among India’s existing fast bowlers. Contrasting persona, approach The two pacers don’t just have contradictory personalities, they differ in approach entirely. One has been labelled a workhorse, marked by his fitness and consistency – not merely in the number of matches he plays but also in his ability to constantly hit the same line and length, one that he has worked on painstakingly. The other is labelled an artist, with an ailing body that needs protection, but with a singular ability to take wickets out of nowhere and turn matches on their head. They are likely to be entrusted with two different roles: the fitter is likely to become the mainstay, the wilier likely to become the X-factor, treated more carefully and rolled out in the trickiest of assignments. Inferences may be made of Siraj’s phenomenal numbers when not playing alongside Bumrah, but that may have more to do with the fact that wickets dry up on the other end, leaving him the lion’s share. The Ahmedabad Test itself was instructive about how well they can work together In their opening spell together on a surface that had something for the seamers, they nabbed three wickets. Siraj picked up where he left off in England; the tour has proven to be massive not only for his confidence but also in him figuring out exactly which parts of his bowling most threaten batters – a surface-agnostic quality. He kept pitching the ball up, and any movement he chased from the surface was directed specifically in targeting the top of off stump. He collected four scalps. While Bumrah came good at the start, on an off day where Siraj played the spearhead role, he arrived at the end and attempted yorker after yorker, choking the West Indies rearguard and breaking through the tail’s resistance with two late wickets. Both are currently in a purple patch. In 20 Tests over the last two years, Siraj averages a shade under 30. Bumrah, having played 18 in the same period, is just under 20. In tandem, the short burst that they will have together while both are in their prime may well prove to be a catalyst for India. The first effects of that will be felt in the three remaining Tests, including two against South Africa next month, this home season.
