Nothing captures the downturn in India's cricketing fortunes like the bowling returns of their star bowler Jasprit Bumrah. The men in blue have now lost five ODIs in a row in New Zealand and Australia across successive tours in 2020. And by fairly comfortable margins – 4 wickets, 22 runs, 5 wickets, 66 runs and 51 runs. In the ongoing ODI series in Australia, the hosts have dominated Virat Kohli's bowling attack without even stretching themselves. Totals of 374 and 389 on admittedly flat pitches in Sydney exposed the lack of bite in the current Indian attack. Which is a strange thing to say given the presence of Bumrah, who was until recently the king of white-ball cricket. However, if you put his exploits in the IPL aside, this has been a poor year for the fast bowler. Ever since his hasty return following a lower back stress fracture diagnosis in September last year, Bumrah has not quite hit his peak. He did not even undergo surgery and was back playing international cricket within three months. It was during the tour of New Zealand earlier in the year where Bumrah's waning powers were highlighted. Kane Williamson, in particular, picked him off easily, aided by the distinct lack of bite and accuracy in Bumrah's bowling. Even the reliable Bumrah yorker became erratic. In the last five ODIs – in Australia and New Zealand – Bumrah has picked up just two wickets and gone for plenty. Batsmen are now able to just sit back and manoeuvre him wherever they please. With the rest of India's attack nowhere near their best, the opponents are chasing targets and setting up big totals without much fuss. Scores of 348/6, 273/8, 300/5, 374/6 and 389/4 by New Zealand and Australia in the last five games suggest as much. While India's batsmen continue to score big, the steep fall in Bumrah's performance may be a bridge too far for Kohli's team.
