Assessing the Impact of Jasprit Bumrah's Absence After Leeds Debacle: 'Who Will Take The Responsibility Going Forward'

Jasprit Bumrah's brilliance with the ball couldn't save India from averting a defeat against India. Shubman Gill endured a difficult start to his captaincy career as England inflicted a five-wicket loss on the visitors in Leeds in the first Test.

Aakash Chopra Raised Questions On How Indian Bowlers Will Cope In Jasprit Bumrah's Absence

Barring Jasprit Bumrah, no other bowlers managed to live up to the expectations. The Headingley pitch didn't offer much for the pacers, but Bumrah stood tall and picked up a five-wicket haul, including the valuable wickets of Zak Crawley and Joe Root. India's over-reliance on their talismanic pacer paid the price as he didn't get the much-needed assurance from the other pacers. The likes of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna failed to live up to the expectations and questions have been raised about their productivity.

Keeping in mind his workload, Bumrah will not play all five Test matches in England this time. Aakash Chopra believes there is a dearth of bowlers in this current India squad who will take Bumrah's place in his absence. On his YouTube channel, he said, “I also remember Ishant Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's Lord's Test. When there are doubts about Bumrah's availability, who will take the responsibility going forward, because Mohammad Shami, I think that story is not over, but it is close to an ending. Mohammed Siraj is good, but he hasn't reached the rank of Bumrah or Shami.”

Also Read: Despite Leeds Defeat, Captain Shubman Gill Earns Strong Endorsements: 'He Led Better Than Ben Stokes'

Rishabh Pant Shone Brightly In Gloomy Leeds

England marked history when they chased down a staggering 371 runs in the 4th innings of the Leeds Test. Despite the humiliating defeat, Rishabh Pant stood out as a bright spot for Team India. The 27-year-old became the second wicket-keeper after Andy Flower to score two centuries in each innings of a Test match. He also got past MS Dhoni's tally of six hundreds to become the Indian wicket-keeper with the most number of centuries. Pant also needs just two centuries to be the cricketer with the most number of hundreds on English soil.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah is The Most Overrated Bowler During Our Times. Here's Why