Bumrah overload biggest concern

India's strategy to have more all-rounders in the playing XI for batting depth seems to have increased workload of frontline pacers

- GOMESH S

AS AB… nahi lag raha zor (Enough now, don't have the energy)." That was Jasprit Bumrah on stump mic when asked if he could bowl one more on day four of the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia. Skipper Rohit Sharma had asked Bumrah if he had it in him for another over; he had already bowled 23 of the 72 overs till then, taking 4/42.

That, in essence, has been the summary of India's tour so far. In a series that from the outside looks very competitive with the scoreline reading 2-1 going into the fifth and final Test in the hot Sydney weekend, Bumrah has made a world of difference. Take him and the 30 wickets he took in 141.2 overs across eight innings out of the equation, the scoreline might read very differently.

So much so that Sharma, and India, have turned to Bumrah at every possible turn. Because he was bloody good, and the others weren't as much. Mohammed Siraj has bowled almost (129.1) as Mitchell Starc (131.2) but he went for 3.89 runs per over. It pales in comparison with Scott Boland (64.5 overs in two games and 11 wickets with an economy of 3.1) and Josh Hazlewood (40 overs in three innings and six wickets with an economy of 1.97).