So will Jasprit Bumrah play in the second Test against England in Birmingham this Wednesday and more importantly should he?
There has been much talk about Bumrah’s workload. It seems the team is planning to play him in just three Tests to keep him fresh for the England tour. He will miss the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. But since India is down 0-1 in the series and rely heavily on Bumrah, playing him at Edgbaston to try and tie the series seems reasonable.
But Bumrah’s past fitness issues could be a problem. Still former India head coach Ravi Shastri hopes Bumrah, 31, will play, considering how big this game is.
“India needs to hit back right away, Shastri told The ICC Review. “Losing a Test match after dominating most of it, especially on the last day during a big chase takes character to recover from and England is to be commended for keeping their cool and do it.
“We don’t know if Bumrah will play or not. Let’s hope he does because this Test match is very important and the series isn’t lost yet. They need to focus on each game. It’s a five-match series and India will look to bounce back, he said.
India lost the first game in Leeds and Shubman Gill’s captaincy was questioned, with Nasser Hussain calling him reactive. Shastri believes the young captain will improve, saying poor bowling and fielding played a role in the loss.
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“People think he was a bit reactive, which can happen in your first Test match as captain, especially with good batting conditions and a fast outfield, Shastri said.
“But he will have learned a lot from that and will want to be more proactive. The bowlers and fielders need to support him and know their roles to execute them well, he added.
