Nearly 2,000 overs since January 2020: Are India over-bowling Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj?

As India prepare for the second Test against England, set to begin next week, there’s one looming question that has moved from whispered concern to full-blown debate: Will Jasprit Bumrah play?

It’s a question that goes beyond mere selection strategy. For a bowler whose action has long been under scrutiny for the strain it places on his body, workload management is not just tactical. Bumrah’s tour of Australia, where we saw him plead with skipper Rohit Sharma that he could bowl no more, laid bare the urgent need to protect India’s most valuable fast-bowling asset.

The consequence? A three-month injury layoff, missing the entirety of the Champions Trophy, and a delayed IPL return. Playing for the Mumbai Indians across 12 matches, Bumrah bowled 47.2 overs and finished with 18 wickets. His return to red-ball cricket came shortly after, and he was back to heavy bowling loads. In the Leeds Test, held 20 days after his last IPL game, he bowled 43.4 overs, almost as many as he bowled across the T20 tournament.

The Indian team management had, however, made a pre-series decision to play Bumrah in only three of the five Tests, which, in theory, spares him from the second match. It is a sensible decision, given the relentless schedule ahead. But it begs another, less often asked question: What about Mohammed Siraj?

While Bumrah’s workload is scrutinised by fans, commentators, and physiotherapists alike, Siraj’s toil has often gone unnoticed, lost in the shadow of his more celebrated bowling partner. Yet, since the start of 2020, Siraj has bowled 625.2 Test overs in 19 Tests in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa (SENA countries), a number dwarfed only by Bumrah’s 751.2 in 22. This year alone, Siraj has already delivered 69 overs across two Tests, including 41 in Leeds. And he, unlike Bumrah, appears expected to play through the series without rotation.

Extend this to Tests in all countries, and Bumrah has sent down 1,030.1 overs, and Siraj 925.2. The next highest? Not even close. Among the 12 other Indian pacers used in this time, none have crossed the 500-over mark, and together have contributed just 188 wickets, compared to the 250 wickets taken by the Bumrah-Siraj duo alone.

Most number of overs bowled by quicks in SENA countries since January 2020

This is not merely about numbers, but a reflection of over-reliance, and the worrying lack of depth in India’s fast-bowling resources, especially in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), where pace is the dominant mode of attack. While countries like Australia and England have enjoyed the luxury of rotating between quality quicks, India have leaned heavily on two men, both of whom play across formats. They are also the only two from India to play more than 15 Tests in this time - Bumrah with 22 appearances, and Siraj, who debuted in December 2020, with 19.

Percentage of overs bowled by quicks for a team in SENA since 2020

When breaking down the percentage of overs bowled by fast bowlers per Test in SENA for each country, India’s pace unit leans disproportionately on Bumrah (25.16%), who bowls an average of 34.15 overs per Test, and Siraj (22.38%), with 32.9 overs. For comparison, among quicks who have bowled at least 600 overs in SENA Tests since January, Australia had three pacers with an average of 30-plus overs per game in that span, England three, and New Zealand two. All these teams also have a reliable pace bowling group, which ensures the bowlers have adequate rests between spells.

India do not have that luxury. In the recent Test at Leeds, India's third and fourth seamers bowled a combined of 51 overs, for seven wickets. However, Prasidh Krishna was expensive, often guilty of letting the pressure slip with loose deliveries, while Shardul Thakur's role was limited. It was not a one-off, with the team also struggling for support from the other pacers in Australia, and going back to Bumrah and Siraj was inevitable.

The last 18 months only cause more concern

The load has only increased since last year. Since 2024, across conditions, Indian quicks have bowled 1,112.2 overs. Only two have bowled more than 150; Bumrah with 410.4 and Siraj with 355.3. Put together, that's a whopping 69 per cent of deliveries bowled by India quicks – well above the mark that they or any other pacer have been used to this decade.

The WTC format, where India play more Tests against England and Australia, has also made it hectic for them, where the scope for the two quicks to rest and miss a whole series is less. Including the ongoing England series, India will play six more away games in SENA in the 2025-27 cycle, and also face Australia in five Tests at home in early 2027. The need to preserve fast bowlers, manage their load across formats, and groom the next generation, thus, is crucial.

Both Bumrah and Siraj have never shied away from effort, with the latter especially becoming known for his wholehearted spells even when the pitch or match situation offers little. But asking them to carry the burden, again and again, for the team, with limited help and without respite, is unsustainable.

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