“Bumrah should have bowled from the Nursery End” - Former India all-rounder’s blunt criticism after Day 1 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has opined that India’s new-ball pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep bowled from the wrong ends on Day 1 (Thursday, July 10) of the third Test against England at Lord’s.

Bumrah bowled six overs in his opening spell, while Akash Deep bowled four. Although there were a few plays and misses and some close calls, the duo failed to make an early breakthrough.

Reacting to this on his YouTube channel (@officialIrfanPathan), the 40-year-old said that Akash Deep struggled to find his rhythm and should have bowled from the Pavilion End, while Bumrah would have been more effective from the Nursery End.

“The way the game began, I felt that Bumrah was bowling from the Pavilion End. But ideally, Bumrah should have bowled from the Nursery End, and Akash Deep should have taken the Pavilion End. When Akash Deep was bowling, it seemed like he was still trying to find his rhythm. He’s primarily an inswing bowler, and the Nursery End generally offers more assistance to outswingers,” Pathan said.

“Bumrah, being a senior and experienced bowler, can adjust from any end. But for Akash Deep, this was his first opportunity to play at Lord’s, so a switch in ends might have helped. That didn’t happen, and because of that, I felt the Indian bowlers couldn’t make the early impact they needed with the new ball,” he added.

It was Nitish Kumar Reddy who provided the breakthrough for the visitors, striking twice in his first over to dismiss both English openers, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. Pathan praised the young all-rounder for his performance, stating that if Reddy continues to take wickets consistently, he could become a crucial asset in maintaining India’s team balance going forward.

“The way the game unfolded in the morning — especially the first hour — there were quite a few plays and misses, but the wickets didn’t come. Then Nitish Kumar Reddy came on to bowl, and the two wickets he took clearly showed that if he can keep picking up one or two wickets consistently in every match, he could prove to be very crucial for India in the future. As a batting all-rounder, his presence can significantly strengthen the team’s balance and combination going forward. He bowled well, got the ball to swing, and there was noticeable bounce as well,” Pathan said.

Meanwhile, the hosts ended Day 1 at 251/4 after 83 overs, scoring at a run rate of 3.02, which was significantly lower than their usual Bazball approach, with Joe Root unbeaten on 99 and captain Ben Stokes on 39 at the crease.

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“The bowlers were rotated regularly as well” - Irfan Pathan weighs in on Shubman Gill’s captaincy on Day 1 of Lord’s Test

In the aforementioned video, Irfan Pathan also shared his thoughts on Shubman Gill’s captaincy on Day 1 of the third Test, stating that the 25-year-old made smart bowling changes and did a good job. Pathan said:

“I’d say the captaincy was quite good as well. For instance, bringing Ravindra Jadeja on to bowl from the Nursery End was a smart move — the slope from that end helps a left-arm spinner generate some natural angle, and that’s exactly what happened. Jadeja even picked up a wicket from there. Nitish Kumar Reddy was also introduced at the right time to break the partnership, and he managed to get a wicket too.”

“In the morning, there was some movement, and the captain made good use of it by bringing in the fourth fast bowler. The bowlers were rotated regularly as well. So overall, there didn’t seem to be any real issues with the captaincy. The team just needs to play with a bit more patience,” he added.

India’s emphatic 336-run win in the second Test at Edgbaston made Shubman Gill the first Indian captain to secure a victory at the venue, ending a streak of eight failed attempts.