India, Aug. 29 -- Less than a month back, India's Test bowling attack appeared to be heading into unfamiliar territory. Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Sri Lanka tour, and with him went a sizeable chunk of experience and strike power. Mohammed Siraj led the attack, but alongside him India had Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi. Krishna had seven Tests behind him, Brar and Nabi none.

It was the sort of selection that can prompt a familiar question in modern cricket: in an age when the quickest route to a career, reputation and financial security runs through T20 cricket, where do you find the Test bowler? Perhaps the more pertinent question is, how do you build him?

The evidence from Sri Lanka was reassuring. Krishna's retu...