From scrapping at Bullring to sledge-hammering at Lord’s

Two tales of Indian pace attack

When Jasprit Bumrah - an Indian Premier League product with an action that can challenge the contortions of a gymnast - made his Test debut in January 2018, he did so with a lot of expectations. Despite his reputation as an excellent white-ball exponent, an impression built on his IPL exploits and subsequently in India's Blues, he slipped into the white flannels effortlessly. It was an affirmation of the belief the team had in his abilities.

Bumrah was the newest and most promising addition yet to India's burgeoning pace battery on his Cape Town debut. Along with the more experienced Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he formed a pace attack that took 50 of the 57 wickets (including three by medium-paced all-rounder Hardik Pandya) to fall to the bowlers in that series. The Indian pacers went toe-to-toe with South African counterparts Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel and Lungi Ngidi. That India lost the series 1-2 was a result of the hosts' marginally better batting and some bizarre selection calls by India. When they eventually got everything right at The Wanderers, India showed they could give back as good as they got.

While there have been some inspirational solo shows by pacemen previously, and occasionally by the likes of Zaheer Khan and Co. (S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Ishant at various stages) collectively, there hadn't been many sustained instances of three or more quality pacers, all delivering the ball in the range of 135-140 kmph consistently with lateral movement to boot, operating together until the South Africa series.

The carnage the Indian pace quartet unleashed at Lord's against England earlier this week was reminiscent of their exploits at the Bullring in 2018. In that instance, the Indians had been riled by the South Africans who, with no little help from the on-field umpires, refused to bat on a pitch that they likened to a minefield. Balls did spit up from a good length awkwardly, putting batsmen's limbs and legs in danger, but India, the visiting team, had hardly moaned when they batted. The early end to the third day's play with the Indians smelling blood and Dean Elgar ducking into a short ball didn't go down well with Kohli and Co., who had braved equal danger to set the hosts a 241-run target.

Amid talk that the fourth day's play could be called off, saner counsel prevailed. Play started an hour late due to overnight rain leaving the outfield a little damp. When bedtime batsmen Elgar and Hashim Amla trooped out of their bunkers to resume play, a quick end appeared imminent. The pitch, however, betrayed few signs of the treacherous track it had been the previous evening. There was some seam movement, but the awkward bounce remained conspicuous by its mysterious absence.

As if the delayed start wasn’t bad enough, the 119-run association between Elgar and Amla began to chip away India's chances. At Lord's, after both English openers had been dismissed for blobs, a third-wicket stand was taking root before veteran Ishant provided the breakthrough by trapping Haseeb Hameed in front. In Johannesburg too, it was the gangling speedster who had opened the floodgates by accounting for Amla, whose flick was snapped up by a diving Pandya. Bumrah then sent back heavyweights AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock, either side of Ishant’s dismissal of Faf du Plessis. It wasn't long before Shami wiped the plate with a five-for with his pace and accuracy, India’s 63-run win only their third such result on South African soil.

It was a victory largely fashioned by the pacers, while Bhuvneshwar contributed with the bat as well in both innings. The similarities to the events on Monday at Lord's, where also India posted their third Test win, were hard to miss. The Lord's escape to victory was primarily manufactured by the seamers, first with the bat on the final morning and then more tellingly with the ball in the last two sessions of the match. The absence of Bhuvneshwar and Pandya did little to dent India's pace strength. If anything, it is only looking more lethal with the addition of a resourceful Mohammed Siraj.

From taming the Proteas at the Bullring to lording over the Englishmen at Lord's, the Indian pace attack has come a full circle. But the relentless pursuit for excellence by all concerned to transform India from the land of spin into a breeding ground for seamers began long before Johannesburg. When India's peerless spin quartet was active, the so-called pacer's job was restricted to taking the shine off the ball. Cut to the present, their best spinner is made to sit out while the other plays predominantly as a batsman, and isn’t required to bowl more than six overs on a fifth-day pitch. That's some transformation!