Decoding the success combination of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bumrah in ODIs, T20Is : A Statistical Analysis

Under MS Dhoni's captaincy, a lot of shuffling took place in the playing XI, after 2011 World Cup. The reason behind this was the transition phase of the Indian team. This had to happen since the old warhorses (like Sehwag, Gambhir, Harbhajan, Zaheer Khan) had to be offloaded owing to age, injuries and form. As a result, the hunt for fresh blood players began and the transition (Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ashwin, Jadeja) happened seamlessly. But, the second half of MS Dhoni's captaincy era witnessed a dearth of quality and consistent fast bowlers. This proved as one of the main obstacles for the cool captain.

After Zaheer Khan was dropped, the team was craving for good fast bowlers, and they tried and tested many, (Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav and a young lad Bhuvneshwar Kumar) but neither of them could hold onto their places for long. From IPL 2015, Bhuvneshwar Kumar began to prove as a lethal bowler for his franchise SRH. Little did the national team know that they would get another gem at the same time. Yes, it was the unorthodox bowler from Baroda, named Jasprit Bumrah. Fast forward 3 years, now this duo have been the go-to bowlers for the young skipper Virat Kohli across all formats. Thus, the reasons behind the successful combination of this deadly duo in limited overs would be discussed here.

Firstly, parameters like pace of deliveries, line and length, and special abilities that the two bowlers could showcase on any match-day, shall be discussed below.

a) BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR:

After Praveen Kumar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the best swing bowler for the team till date. He can generate swing at a speed of 130-135 kph and rarely even exceeding 140 kph. He could bowl inswingers as well as outswingers frequently at ease. These are highly effective for him as he could dismiss many batsmen within the mandatory powerplay. His X-factor delivery is the knuckle ball. As the name suggests, the ball is held onto the knuckles, such that the ball is released at a slower speed, which deceives the batsman.

b) JASPRIT BUMRAH:

For several year the Indian team had been searching for a bowler who could bowl effective yorkers. Suddenly, out of the blue, a young lad, Bumrah started bowling good yorkers in IPL 2015. BCCI hit the bulls-eye by picking him for International matches. He has an unorthodox bowling action and he can bowl deliveries above 135 kph and he can clock speeds of 140+ kph quite consistently. During the powerplay, he often bowls good length and short pitched deliveries. His X-factor delivery is the yorker and he preserves it mostly for the death overs.

NOTE 1: Since, the stats have been gathered for Jasprit Bumrah too, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's stats have been considered only from the former’s debut (i.e Jan 2016).

NOTE 2: The stats are collected till the recently concluded ODI and T20I series versus Windies.

As far as the stats are concerned, the 5 parameters which have been taken into consideration are,

· Average Economy (Powerplay and Death overs)

· Wickets / Match Ratio

· Performance (Bowling 1st and Bowling 2nd )

· Performance (Home and Away matches)

· % of Wicket-taken Innings.

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#1 Average Economy

To say the least, the Indian bowlers’ economy had declined to a greater extent in the last couple of years. This is a drastic change, since the bowling composition of MS Dhoni’s (2014-16) and Virat Kohli’s teams are contrasting. The former’s resources were Ashwin, Jadeja, Shami, Umesh, and Mohit Sharma, while the latter’s are Kuldeep, Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya.

GRAPH 1

Possessing an economy of less than 7.00 in the death overs (ODIs), is a laudable achievement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bumrah. Though, the mandatory powerplay restrictions have proved to be a handicap for the bowlers in the past decade, this combo have been exceptional in that case with an economy of less than 5.00.

GRAPH 2

In the shortest format, the death overs have proved to be decisive for any team both in the batting and bowling. This combination has managed not to concede too much of runs in the death with an economy of less than 8.20. This is one of the main answers to why India have emerged victorious on multiple occasions.

#2 Wicket/Match Ratio

GRAPH 3

This current mix of Indian bowlers (Kuldeep, Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bumrah, Hardik Pandya), have reduced the opposition’s total to a large extent, on numerous occasions. But, in particular, the growth of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bumrah has been tremendous, as their wicket per match ratios have been impressive.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bumrah, have been a part of 53 and 79 international matches (ODIs+T20Is) respectively, and have managed to take a truckload of wickets. Many bowlers struggle to pick more than 1 wicket during multiple matches.

Several bowlers have taken 100 or 200 wickets throughout the entire career span. But what matters is, how fast are they able to achieve those milestones. For instance, there is a difference between bowlers who take 80 wickets in 90 innings and 80 wickets in 60 innings. That is where Wickets/ match ratio comes into play. It can almost describe the consistency of wickets taken by a bowler.

#3 Bowling 1st and Bowling 2nd

Toss has become one of the vital factors to determine the victory of any team. An invulnerable team is one, whose performance is undeterred by factors like, toss, weather, pitch, etc. So, such a team needs to have the desired bowlers to set a low target as well as defend any totals. Indian team is fortunate to have such a mix of players.

GRAPH 4

Toss has a huge effect, particularly in T20Is. Despite that fact, this duo have continued to put up stellar performances in T20Is. Comparatively, Bhuvneshwar Kumar seemed to have bowled economical spells especially while defending runs on the board, and on the contrary, Bumrah seemed to have curbed the run-flow while setting the score.

GRAPH 5

Their ODI performances have been no different compared to T20Is. Their economies had been astounding while bowling 1st and defending as well. In addition to that, Bumrah has been incredible since his debut, as he had sent the batsmen 78 times back to the pavilion in just 44 ODIs.

#4 Home-Away Comparison

GRAPH 6

India have been spectacular in T20Is by winning 8 out of 11 away series and 5 out of 7 home series, since 2016. In particular, they had won 3 away series, against SENA nations. Predominantly, SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries prove to be the difficult teams outside the subcontinent. Also, this duo has played a crucial part in these triumphs. They have bowled brilliantly on home soil as well.

As observed from the chart, their wicket to match ratios, have been impeccable. This pair deserves the much-needed appreciation since they have performed splendidly by suppressing the opposition’s run-rate less than 7.00 on an average.

GRAPH 7

Gone are the days when the spinners returned with plenty of wickets than pacers at home. This duo has picked a total of 22 wickets in T20Is and 49 wickets in ODIs. Since 2016, Men in Blue have been formidable with a 100 % series win record at home and 50% win record outside India. This year, India won the historic ODI series against South Africa in their own backyard.

The graph tells the story. Bumrah almost picks 2 wickets on away soil every match. No matter if it is home or away, this duo had consistently proved to be an obstacle for the opposition with a mind-blowing economy and by grabbing wickets on a frequent basis.

#5 Wicket-Taken Innings (%)

GRAPH 8

GRAPH 9

The prime challenge that any captain would face is, when his trump-card bowlers have an off-day (i.e), they may fail to grab at least one wicket. Also, the no. of these occurrences is inversely proportional to the chances of winning.

Virat Kohli seems to be have been blessed in this case, as this duo had dismissed batsmen at least once in 65% and 86% of the ODI matches respectively. This factor is more crucial in T20Is, and this duo has had their share of wickets in 62%(Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and 77%(Bumrah) of the T20I matches respectively. These numbers are mind-boggling.

The fact that they are young, means the Indian bowling is in safe hands for almost a decade. With just 6 months to go for the much awaited World Cup, this duo's form and presence would be pivotal for India. Moreover, the pitches in England would be icing on the cake for fast bowlers. Thus, it is essential that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bumrah make the best use of those, to bolster India's chances.