Before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, India’s coach Gautam Gambhir said Jasprit Bumrah would play only 3 out of 5 Tests. He didn’t say which ones.
India lost the first game in Leeds despite scoring 5 centuries and Bumrah taking 5 wickets. The team is now 0-1 down. The team rested Bumrah for the second Test in Birmingham which started on Wednesday and many were critical of the move.
Former England player David Lloyd also criticized the decision. He said if the Indian team was worried about their lead bowler’s workload, the 7 day break between the first and second game should be enough time for him to rest and recover.
Lloyd wrote in his Daily Mail column: “Let’s talk about Jasprit Bumrah. If you’re the best bowler in the world, your team is behind and you’ve just had a week off, you should be ready to play.
He continued: “It gets even more interesting. Did Jasprit say ‘I’ll miss this Test and play at Lord’s’ or did the Indian medical team say he’s not ready? It’s a mystery. I think if you’re a cricketer you should play.”
India made 3 changes to the team that played in Leeds. They dropped B Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur and rested Bumrah. Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep came in.
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Lloyd said the changes suggest the team is worried about batting failures and has lengthened the tail. “India made 3 changes and from what I hear their camp would be happy to go to Lord’s down by one game. After the failures at Headingley they lengthened the tail. I think they’ve packed this team with batters and would be happy with a draw. If you think like that before you start you’re hurting your chances,” he wrote.
