Shubman Gill-led Team India are on the verge of losing the Test and eventually the series at the end of Day 3 of the fourth Test, as England extended their dominance with a masterful knock from Joe Root as they piled on 500 runs, with the lead nearing 200-run mark.
At stumps, England were 544/7 with Ben Stokes and Liam Dawson unbeaten on 77 and 21, respectively. As Joe Root smashed his 38th Test ton and also became the second-highest Test-scorer in Tests, surpassing Australia's Ricky Ponting, Indian team were left scratching their heads.
Jasprit Bumrah, India's star pacer has proved ineffective so far in this Test, registering figures of 28 overs, five maidens, 1/95. Former English batter Jonathan Trott was of the opinion that Bumrah wasn't getting any help from the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Anshul Kamboj.
"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. Bumrah benefits massively when there’s support at the other end, and that wasn’t the case today. When you’re slightly under par as a bowling unit — like India were — control from both ends becomes crucial.
Bumrah, who missed the Edgbaston Test due to workload management, has so far taken 13 wickets in this series at an average of 26.69. India's bowling coach Morne Morkel too shared the same opinion as Trott, with the Protea stating Bumrah did not get the desired support from the other end.
“For him to be successful, we need to build partnerships. The other guys need to help him out, and I think at times, the guys are also trying from the other end, they are a little bit greedy — trying to strive too much, and that’s how we leak and sort of release that pressure," Morkel told reporters.
"You can’t say anything about Bumrah, he’s number one in the world, he’s skilful. At times, you need help from the other end,” he added.
Bumrah, 31, has played 48 Tests so far and scalped 218 wickets at a career average of 19.83. Bumrah is currently the no. 1 fast bowler in the ICC Test Rankings.
Speaking of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India trail 1-2 in the series with the series decider to be played at the Kennington Oval, London on July 31. If England win this Test, they will jump to the second spot in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points table with India languishing in fourth spot.
