New Delhi, Oct 20: Not too long ago, India prided itself on possessing one of the most formidable fast-bowling attacks in world cricket.
The quintet of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj formed a fearsome unit that could rattle opposition line-ups across conditions — be it the seaming tracks of England, the bouncy decks of Australia, or the slow turners at home.
Under the aggressive leadership of Virat Kohli and the meticulous guidance of bowling coach Bharat Arun, India’s pace revolution was no accident.
It was planned, nurtured and executed to perfection.
Picking 20 wickets in every Test match became the team’s mantra, and the pacers were the spearhead of that philosophy.
But that golden era now seems like a distant memory.
The Decline After Kohli and Arun
Ever since Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain and Bharat Arun’s tenure came to an end, the once-rich pace arsenal has lost its sharpness.
Injuries, inconsistency and, most worryingly, a noticeable dip in pace have all combined to create a deep void in India’s fast-bowling department.
Mohammed Shami’s recurring injuries have sidelined him for the better part of the last two years.
Ishant has quietly faded from the scene, while Umesh Yadav has been reduced to a domestic workhorse.
That leaves Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj carrying the bulk of India’s pace-bowling burden — and the signs of fatigue are beginning to show.
A Generation Struggling to Break Through
On paper, there’s no shortage of names waiting in the wings. Akash Deep, Bengal’s promising pacer after Shami, has shown flashes of brilliance but remains injury-prone and inconsistent.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, the young all-rounder from Andhra, is more of a handy medium pacer than a genuine quick.
Harshit Rana continues to find a place in multiple squads, but his international outings have been underwhelming at best.
Arshdeep Singh, though disciplined and left-armed, still lacks the searing pace that can trouble top-order batters overseas.
Even Abhimanyu Easwaran, primarily a batter, has been pushed into occasional seam-bowling duties in domestic cricket — a reflection of how threadbare India’s pace cupboard has become.
And perhaps the most alarming development of all is the disappearance of two of India’s most exciting pace prospects — Umran Malik and Mayank Yadav. Both once clocked 150 kmph regularly and were hailed as the future of India’s fast bowling.
Today, they are nowhere near the national setup, with form, fitness, and selection decisions keeping them on the sidelines.
The Grim Reality
The question now stares Indian cricket in the face: Who are India’s fast-bowling reserves?
With Shami frequently sidelined and nearing the twilight of his career, Bumrah and Siraj remain the only two pacers who can consistently deliver at the international level. Beyond them, the pool looks shallow. Harshit Rana can occasionally breach the mid-140s but struggles with control. Arshdeep is improving, but he is not yet ready to lead an attack in challenging conditions.
A recent report by The Indian Express summed up the concern succinctly — according to a member of the Indian support staff, “Not many in domestic cricket could touch even 135 kph, the minimum you need in Test cricket.”
The Lost Art of Pace
The alarming drop in bowling speed across the domestic circuit has become a major headache for the selectors and team management.
India’s domestic pacers are either too slow to threaten batters or too erratic to be trusted for long spells.
Anshul Kamboj’s recent international debut encapsulated the problem perfectly. Picked on the back of an impressive domestic season, the Haryana pacer struggled to sustain pace and rhythm.
As the England batters attacked relentlessly, Kamboj’s confidence — and speed — plummeted.
Touching 130 kph became a rarity, drawing comparisons to Pankaj Singh’s ill-fated Test spells in England over a decade ago.
Even the more promising names, such as Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, have struggled to maintain consistency.
Akash, who looked sharp during his stint against England, lost his sting once the opposition shifted gears.
Prasidh, though capable of picking wickets, often leaks runs at an alarming rate — a problem that has prevented him from cementing a place in the side.
The Missing Firepower
India’s list of available quicks makes for a grim reading. Umran Malik, who lit up IPL 2022 with sheer pace, has since faded into obscurity.
Khaleel Ahmed last featured for India in July 2024 and has barely been discussed since.
Mukesh Kumar, despite decent performances in limited-overs cricket, has been ignored for over a year without any clear explanation.
The result is an unmissable vacuum — a black hole in India’s fast-bowling landscape.
The fearsome depth that once allowed Kohli to rotate his pacers freely has evaporated. Today, India relies on two men — Bumrah and Siraj — to carry the hopes of a billion cricket fans across formats, a task that is neither sustainable nor wise.
The Road Ahead
For a country that once boasted a pace attack envied by the cricketing world, India’s present fast-bowling scenario is alarmingly bleak. The decline cannot be pinned on one individual or one phase. It is a result of systemic neglect — a failure to nurture and manage fast-bowling talent from the grassroots.
There is an urgent need for the BCCI and the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to rethink their fast-bowling development programmes. Fitness, workload management, and exposure to foreign conditions must become priority areas once again.
The focus must shift back to nurturing genuine quicks who can consistently bowl above 140 kmph — not just medium pacers who can hold a bat. (Agencies)
