New Delhi– Former India head coach Greg Chappell has voiced serious concerns over the composition of India’s bowling attack, stating that a lack of variety—more than fielding errors—was the key factor in their five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley.
While Jasprit Bumrah stood out with figures of 5 for 140 across both innings, all five of his wickets came in the first innings. The rest of the pace attack—Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna—managed just 9 wickets between them while conceding 482 runs over 92 overs. Spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who was the sole spin option, returned figures of 0-68 and 1-104 in the two innings.
“As disappointing as the fielding in Headingley was, it wasn’t the main reason India lost,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo on Monday. “Most of India’s problems were self-inflicted. Perhaps the most costly was the no-ball that spared Harry Brook early in the second innings. But more concerning to me is the lack of variety in the bowling attack.”
Chappell criticized the uniformity of India’s seamers, noting that all are right-arm, medium-fast bowlers operating at similar angles.
“There’s a reason why wickets often fall after a change in bowling—it forces the batter to recalibrate. That kind of variation is missing from Shubman Gill’s bowling options,” he added.
Looking ahead to the second Test at Edgbaston starting July 2, Chappell recommended strategic changes to India’s lineup. He suggested including left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, especially if Bumrah is unavailable.
“Without Bumrah, I’d bring in Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav—possibly the best wrist-spinner since Shane Warne,” Chappell said. “Jadeja is not a front-line spinner in English conditions. If his batting is deemed valuable, he can serve as a support option; otherwise, India needs to reconsider.”
Chappell stressed the importance of bowling discipline, noting a lack of consistency in line and length from India’s bowlers. “Even with Bumrah in the side, the rest of the attack must be more disciplined. I didn’t see two consecutive balls land in threatening areas. It was either too short, too full, or too wide,” he observed.
He also urged India to prioritize balance and trust their top six batters rather than rely on part-time bowling all-rounders to offset potential collapses.
“Bowlers need to work in partnerships just like batters. Right now, England simply need to see off Bumrah, and the pressure fades. I don’t support the idea of picking a batter who bowls a bit just to cushion top-order failures. The top six must be trusted to deliver,” he wrote.
Chappell concluded by calling on Indian selectors to show boldness in their decisions. “If batters and bowlers are expected to take risks to win matches, selectors must also have the courage to make bold calls,” he said. (Source: IANS)
