There were a lot of questions raised when Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the second Test match against England when it was pretty obvious that India will need their very best to turn things around after a humiliating shellacking in the series opener.
Young Mohammad Siraj got his first Test in India and he was accompanied by a vastly experienced Ishant Sharma. Sunil Gavaskar himself came all guns blazing at the Indian management for resting Bumrah in this crucial stoush against the Three Lions wherein the reason for dropping India’s primary fast bowler was divulged by ESPN’s senior data analyst, Gaurav Sundararaman.
He quoted, “Great call by India to rest Bumrah in this Test. Perfect conditions to give him a rest. Pretty sure they knew that he would hardly bowl much on this pitch. He will be fresh to make a big difference in the next 2 Tests in his Home ground. #INDvENG”.
Great call by India to rest Bumrah in this Test. Perfect conditions to give him a rest. Pretty sure they knew that he would hardly bowl much on this pitch. He will be fresh to make a big difference in the next 2 Tests in his Home ground. #INDvENG
— Gaurav Sundararaman (@gaurav_sundar) February 15, 2021
Firstly, this track is a swirling vortex of entropy and the spinners have rode on the whirlpool that the cherry has been swirling itself in. Hence, fast bowlers have taken a back-seat.
Secondly, Ashwin showed it to others that why this track can be a nightmare for the batters and with India bowling the fourth innings, the decision of dropping Bumrah will even be further justified.
He has been consistently playing since IPL and is in dire need of some rest. With back to back tours coming up, he won’t be getting it. It will be upon the management to see that how they can make things easy for the Indian fast bowler who will be India’s best bet in picking up wickets in every format of the sport.
