Ben Stokes is leading the wicket-takers' list in the ongoing series with 17 scalps.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was full of praise for India pacer Jasprit Bumrah, but admitted that Ben Stokes has out-bowled him in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. With 17 wickets from four matches, England captain Stokes is currently the leading wicket-taker in the five-match series.
However, the Gujarat speedster is just right behind Stokes in second place, having taken 14 wickets from three matches. England lead the Test series 2-1, with the fourth Test at Old Trafford ending in a dramatic draw on Sunday.
“He does things no-one else can. I think Jasprit Bumrah is the greatest seamer I’ve seen. Well, Stokes has out-bowled him in this series and been better than anyone else,” the 50-year-old mentioned in his column for The Telegraph.
“He gets back-spin, has an awkward angle, and a great ability to know exactly how to bowl on a surface, and hit the one spot on the pitch that can cause trouble, as he did to KL Rahul on the final day against India at Old Trafford,” explained Vaughan.
Jasprit Bumrah has played three Tests in the five-match series so far, and one of the biggest talking points heading into the fifth Test at The Oval is whether he will play that match. Before the series, Bumrah was expected to play just three Tests against England in a bid to manage the workload.
For the Manchester Test, the 31-year-old replaced the injured Akash Deep and picked up two wickets. While India head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that all bowlers are fit for the Oval Test, he did not clearly specify on Bumrah’s participation for the fifth Test.
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“We haven’t had any conversation around the combination for the last Test. No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try and do the job for the country,” Gambhir said after the fourth Test.
India will hope to level the series 2-2 when the fifth and final Test begins at The Oval on Thursday (July 31).
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