Team India suffered a defeat in the first Test against England at Headingley, in which Ben Stokes's team achieved a massive target of 371 runs. After this defeat, the Indian bowlers were criticized a lot for their performance, Bumrah being the lone warrior in the whole Indian bowling lineup. To this, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed his displeasure over this performance of the Indian team. He admitted that the bowling was not that effective, but at the same time said that it is not right to put all the blame on the bowlers.
R Ashwin, on his YouTube channel, stated,
"When England chased 370 and won the match, the entire focus of the commentary went on the failure of the Indian bowlers. It seemed as if only the bowlers were responsible. But if a little research is done, it will be known that big targets have been chased in the fourth innings in England before as well."
The former Indian cricketer also stated that the batsmen will also have to fulfill their responsibility. He made it clear that scoring runs is not enough; it is important to convert them into big scores. Five batsmen did score centuries in India's innings, but Ashwin asked, where are the "Daddy Hundreds," i.e., centuries that can change the course of the match?
Further, he said,
"The batsmen should take more responsibility. Yes, centuries have been scored, but were they big and effective centuries? We also have to accept that no runs can be expected from our lower order. Our fast bowlers cannot contribute much in batting."
Although Ashwin also criticized the other bowlers, he praised Jasprit Bumrah and said that he created pressure with good line and length. He believes that if the rest of the bowlers are successful in stopping the runs along with Bumrah, then wickets will be automatically obtained.
Ashwin said,
"Maiden overs are very important in Test cricket. If Bumrah is giving even a few more runs, then other bowlers should bowl miserly. I heard it was said in a show that Siraj did not get wickets because he was unlucky. But just good bowling is not enough; economy rate is also important."
He also said that when more runs are conceded in the first innings, the bowlers come under pressure in the second innings and the aggression reduces. He said,
"If I were Morkel, I would have told the other bowlers not to do much; Bumrah alone is enough. As the saying goes, Bowl three maidens and you will get a wicket."