Jasprit Bumrah benefits massively when there’s support at other end, fourth Test slightly beyond India: Trott

Former England cricketer Jonathan Trott observed that India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah benefits massively when there is support at the other end but feels the ongoing fourth Test in Manchester is now ‘slightly beyond’ the visitors.

Down 1-2 in the five-match series, India trail England by 186 runs in at the end of Day 3 in the fourth Test.

India endured arguably their worst day on the field on Day 3 of the Manchester Test as Joe Root’s record-breaking 150 put the hosts in complete command.

Despite having Bumrah available for what could be his last Test of the series as it was pre-decided that the right-arm pacer would play three of the five Tests on England tour, the Indian bowlers struggled to break through.

“Bumrah’s areas were pretty good, and his economy reflects that — he was just a bit unlucky. But the bigger issue is pressure from both ends,” JioHotstar expert Trott said.

“Bumrah benefits massively when there's support at the other end, and that wasn’t the case today (Friday). When you're slightly under par as a bowling unit — like India were — control from both ends becomes crucial,” he added.

While Trott had some sympathy for the young India captain Shubman Gill on his first assignment as leader, he said the fourth Test is beyond India's control as they have fallen behind by a big margin.

“Shubman Gill is on his first trip to England as a batter and has also been thrown into the deep end as captain — carrying immense responsibility,” he said.

“He fought well across the first three Tests, but this game feels slightly beyond India, considering the challenges and resources. India’s bowling was hampered by Akash Deep’s unavailability — he picked up 10 wickets in the last Test but missed out due to injury.

“Anshul Kamboj came in, but struggled to rise to the demands of Test cricket. One area India could’ve improved is their bowling combination — seamers bowled nearly 82 overs for just three wickets, while spin got four wickets in just 52 overs. That’s something they’ll need to reassess,” he added.

Trott said Root has found a balance in the aggressive Bazball approach and conventional style of batting is working well for the England great.

“Joe Root’s method is just so solid, you don’t see him shift gears dramatically. When Bazball first came in, he experimented a bit — ramping seamers, playing reverse scoops — but he’s set that aside now,” he said.

“He’s found a balanced approach, maybe carried over a few elements from that expansive phase, but overall, he sticks to what works best for him.”

Meanwhile, former batter Sanjay Manjrekar hoped India will not get bogged down under pressure and come out fighting.

“;India won’t be thinking of a draw. They’ll be hoping for the sun to be out so they can pile on runs and put pressure back on England. The surface is showing signs of uneven bounce, so it could get tricky,” he said.