India’s quicks run out of steam again

India’s quicks run out of steam again (AP Photo)

In 1991-92, India went to Australia and were thrashed 4-0 in a five-Test series. Kapil Dev was already a veteran of 110 Tests when the tour began and turned 33 during the third Test in Sydney. He took 25 wickets in that series, dismissing the great Allan Border four times. In all, he bowled an incredible 284 overs, on pitches baked as hard as concrete. He bowled another 88 overs in the tri-nation Benson an Hedges World Series, and 58 more in the World Cup that followed immediately after.

Just let those numbers soak in when you listen to nonsense about India’s pace pack and ‘workload management’. So far, Mohammed Siraj has bowled 139 overs, and Jasprit Bumrah 119.4. Both are now 31 and have a combined 88 caps between them. There was a lengthy gap between the first and second Tests, and another between the third at Lord’s and this one at Old Trafford. Nor have they had to bowl in the kind of infernal heat you often find in Perth or Adelaide.

India running out of steam in a five-Test series in nothing new. In 2014, they led 1-0 in England before losing the last three Tests, the final two by an innings. Four years later, they lost the last two again to surrender the series 4-1. In Australia in 2024-25, the first Test was won against the odds in Perth before three defeats saw the hosts leapfrog India into the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

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On each occasion, the pace bowlers faded after promising starts. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 11 wickets in the first two innings in 2014. In the next five, he claimed just eight. Bumrah missed the final innings in Sydney last January with a back injury. By then, he had bowled 151.2 overs in nine innings.

So, what is the problem? Back in 2014, Michael Holding, West Indies legend who was part of the SKY Sports commentary panel, suggested India’s bowlers didn’t have the ‘legs’, that they simply didn’t run enough as preparation. Time was when a major part of a fast bowler’s preparation was running. Kapil swore by it, while most of the Caribbean legends took part in track and field in their youth.

According to Holding, the lack of energy in the legs would impact everything, from the run-up to line and length. Bumrah, who took 12 wickets across Headingley and Lord’s, looked well short of his usual pace and energy in this game, and it called into question his overall fitness. As for Anshul Kamboj, he bowled embarrassingly slow at times with the new ball, hardly surprising when you consider he last played a red-ball game six weeks ago with India A.

Even Siraj limped through his later spells, looking a shadow of the enforcer he has so often been in overseas Tests for India. Despite a kind schedule, India have been found wanting with the ball when it matters most. And given the lack of energy on show in conditions where England’s quicks thrived – Ben Stokes has bowled 129 overs, in addition to his 304 runs – it makes you wonder whether anything has changed in over a decade. Whether you’re a bowler or a boxer, you don’t stand a chance once the legs have gone.