‘Seemed fine and manageable’ – Michael Vaughan on Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling in Manchester Test

Indian speed leader Jasprit Bumrah seemed like a ghost of his former self during the current fourth Test match against England in Manchester, according to former England captain Michael Vaughan. The spinner, who was born in Ahmedabad, has only taken one wicket in his 28 overs thus far in the game while giving up around 100 runs.

Jasprit Bumrah lacked the penetration and crispness he had shown in the third Test at Lord’s, according to Vaughan. Additionally, he contrasted Jasprit Bumrah performance with that of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer of England, implying that the Indian pacer did not get enough out of a responsive Old Trafford surface.

“I must admit that Jasprit Bumrah has appeared to be playing and in good form today.

“Jasprit Bumrah lacks the pace that Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer can produce, and he doesn’t have the oomph that he got out of the surface at Lord’s when he bowled that amazing spell,” Vaughan told the BBC.

In the fourth Test match against England at Old Trafford, the right-arm pacer achieved a noteworthy milestone by becoming just the third Asian bowler to collect 50 Test wickets in England. He became a member of the exclusive group that also included Ishant Sharma of India (51 wickets) and Wasim Akram of Pakistan (53 wickets). Bumrah’s remarkable average of 26.38 and economy rate of 2.79 allowed him to accomplish the feat in just 12 games.

By the end of Day 3, Jasprit Bumrah had taken out Jamie Smith after bowling 15 overs and giving up 48 runs. His current total for the match is 1 for 95 from 28 overs.

After an injury hiatus following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 in Australia, where he was in exceptional form and took 32 wickets at an incredible average of 13.06, including three five-wicket hauls and two four-wicket hauls, Bumrah made his comeback to play in this series.

The speedster has not been as successful in the current Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, collecting 13 wickets at an average of 26.69 in five innings. With two five-wicket hauls to his credit, he is presently the third-highest wicket-taker in the series.