Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed disbelief at India’s decision to rest a fully fit Jasprit Bumrah from the second Test against England, asserting that the pace spearhead should not have been given the option to sit out of a crucial game.
India, enduring a rough patch in Test cricket since October last year, have managed just one win in their last nine matches, marking their worst run in over a decade.
India’s poor form
“If you look at the run India has had, this becomes a very, very important Test match. You’ve lost three against New Zealand, you’ve lost three against Australia,” Shastri told Sky Sports.
“You’ve lost the first Test match here and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best fast bowler in the world, and you make him sit out after seven days of rest, it’s something very hard to believe,” he said.
Bumrah had claimed his 14th five-wicket haul in the first innings at Leeds.
Jasprit will play at Lord’s
After the toss on Wednesday, Gill told former England batter Michael Atherton that Bumrah was rested to manage his workload. “Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break and this is an important match for us. But the third Test being at Lord’s, we think there’ll be more in that pitch so we’ll use him there,” Gill said.
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