Whether Stuart Broad will be able to add to his tally of 602 Test wickets on the final day of this Ashes series at The Oval is tough to say because of the weather in London.

But rain or shine, the impact and legacy Broad will be leaving behind should serve as an inspiration for not just future England seamers, but for fast bowling aspirants all over the world.

For critics, Broad has been a bowler "effective primarily in English conditions".

His record in the subcontinent, particularly in India, is far from impressive as he has only 10 wickets from eight Tests.

Compared to that, his long-time new-ball colleague James Anderson has fared better, being one of England's vital cogs in their last series win over India back in December 2012.

Even during England's last tour of India in early 2021, Anderson continued to be one of England's go-to bowlers, while Broad ended wicketless, bowling only 26 overs in three innings.

The difference between England's new-ball duo has been obvious. Anderson is richer in talent when it comes to swing/reverse swing and seam, and more accurate in conditions that aren't pacer-friendly.

Broad, on the other hand, has been a little more reliant on swing and movement with 396 of his 602 scalps so far coming in England alone.

The staunchest of Broad's critics refer to him as "that bowler" who got clobbered for six maximums in a row by Yuvraj Singh in Durban during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.

Agreed, the time when he used to be a regular in England's white-ball sides, his record against India wasn't too impressive. But in Tests at home, the 37-year-old has taken 64 Indian wickets in 16 appearances, being an ideal assist for Anderson, who tormented the teams led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2011 and 2014.

India were the No.1 ranked side in Tests going into that 2011 series. After a match-haul of seven wickets in the series opener at Lord's, Broad took 6/46 which included a hat-trick in the second Test at Nottingham.

And just before his hat-trick, he had ensured he got rid of a well-set Yuvraj, who was batting on 62 and had also stitched a 128-run fifth-wicket partnership with Rahul Dravid, which did threaten to take the game away from England.

England won that Test and eventually swept the series 4-0. Broad has been found wanting on unresponsive decks. But at the end of the day, it's the numbers and the scorecards that remain a constant. And it's not just confined to six sixes.