(Cricket news) Indian pace attack has been improving over the years and the 2021 season has seen Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj dominate in Test matches. Even though Ravichandran Ashwin ended the season as the leading wicket taker for the team, the pacers have been successful in their mission. Ashwin and Axar Patel were the top bowlers among the spinners in the 2021 season.
Bumrah has been one of the fastest bowlers in the current squad and has been troubling the batters with his swing and pace. The 28 year old has taken 30 wickets in 9 matches this year with a five wicket haul against England in the 1st test at Nottingham in August. The match saw Bumrah taking four wickets in the first innings as the batters could not read the ball and in the second innings he grabbed five wickets to finish the match with 9 wickets. He bowled more than 300 overs in the past 12 months with 78 maidens as his economy rate was only behind Ashwin and Axar.
The Mumbai Indians star is not a very big fan of loud celebrations or outbursts as a simple smile is all that is left when the stumps go for a walk. Bumrah has been a tireless player for the team as his service is needed in all the three formats and has been bowling regularly in the 140 km/ hour range.
Mohammad Siraj is the latest pace bowler to be a part of the Indian team and has been the most consistent this year. He has taken 31 wickets in 10 matches with one five wicket haul against Australia in Brisbane 11 months ago. Siraj was only playing in his third Test when he took 6 wickets in the 4th test against a strong Aussie batting lineup. The 29 year old took 1 wicket in the first innings which came in the last ball of the 1st over prompting David Warner to take a quick walk back into the dressing room. In the second innings he took two successive wickets in the 31st over and then went on to take three more for his first 5 wicket haul.
The Hyderabadi player bowls consistently around 135 km/ hour range and can sometimes go upto 140 km/hour. Siraj does not hold back his emotions as seen with his celebrations which are both innovative and quite expressive. He has many variations with a swift bouncer which can knock off the helmet if not handled in the right way and has been the leading way for pace for the team this year.
The Bumrah- Siraj combination has worked for the team so far as both players use their own tactics to take out the batters. The Indian team is currently playing in South Africa, the victory in the first match is certainly a big boost and our pace attack has been on par with the Proteas pace attack. The second Test starts from January 3rd 2022 at Wanderers Stadium.
Also read: Victory at Centurion testimony to India's all-round performance in Tests, says Kohli
