How good have India's fast bowlers been in Tests in 2019? Here are the numbers

Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has been in roaring form.

For someone who went through a tumultuous ride on the personal front last year, when his wife came up with some shocking allegations, it is incredible how Mohammed Shami has kept himself together. Lesser mortals would have fallen apart and disintegrated, but Shami has immersed himself in his bowling so hard that all the controversies seem a distant memory. Such has been Shami’s incredible renaissance in 2019, even the legendary Dale Steyn has termed him the best fast bowler currently.

In eight Tests this year, Shami has 33 wickets to his credit at an average of 16.66. With the old ball, Shami has been literally unplayable at times while in the second innings his performances have been rather sensational. Shami has beaten batsmen for pace, unruffled them with bouncers and left them bewildered with movement. His five-for at Visakhapatnam had four batsmen dismissed clean bowled, and Bangladesh too struggled against his guile.

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Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav's Test career has taken a major leap.

Had it not been for Bumrah’s injury, Umesh Yadav would still have been warming the benches. But, having gotten the lucky break, the Vidarbha pacer has ensured to make best use of it. Running in hard, Yadav has delivered significant breakthroughs for the team when partnerships were beginning to frustrate them. His accuracy too has improved significantly in comparisons to the loose balls he was bowling regularly in his previous stint with the Test team.

Yadav has played four Tests this year and has a highly impressive haul of 23 wickets. He picked up three wickets each in both innings of the Pune Test against South Africa, including the top three in the first innings. Yadav ended the year in Tests on a perfect note, with a five-for to bowl India to victory in the country’s first-ever Day-Night Test.

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Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah has been instrumental in India's recent Test successes.

Owing to his injury, Jasprit Bumrah has been out of action for a while. However, even though he played only three Tests in 2019, he still made a significant impact. Bumrah finished the year with 14 wickets in three Tests at an average of 13.14. He claimed 5 for 7 in the second innings at North Sound and added a hat-trick to his kitty en route to his 6 for 27 at Kingston.

Bumrah’s contribution to the Test team however goes beyond numbers. He was the one who lifted India’s spirit in South Africa with a first-innings five-for at Wanderers that went a long way in helping India claim a consolation victory, having been demoralised in the first two Tests. Bumrah also blew away Australia with nine wickets in the 2018 Boxing Day Test as India went on to create history Down Under. The country will be praying that he returns fully fit from the stress fracture which has kept him out of action.