Former India head coach Ravi Shastri minced no words for India captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir for benching Jasprit Bumrah in the second Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham, which started on Wednesday. Bumrah, who took a five-wicket haul in the first Test in Leeds, was rested as a part of workload management and was replaced by Akash Deep.
Despite the fact the Indian management had already made it public that Bumrah is not going to play all the Test matches in England, resting the premier pacer after a five-wicket haul in the first Test, didn’t go well with former cricketers, including Shastri.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Shastri opined that Gill and Gambhir should have made sure Bumrah’s availability in Birmingham, considering there was a week’s gap after the first Test in Leeds. “You have the best fast bowler in the world and you make him sit out after seven days of rest. That is something very hard to believe,” said Shastri on live broadcast.
If he’s fit to play, he should play: Ravi Shastri
According to Shastri, if Bumrah was fit to play, he should have been in that Indian playing XI. “Very strange and baffling as far as I’m concerned. If he’s fit to play, he should play,” said an animated Shastri. Earlier, before the Test series started, Bumrah had told Dinesh Karthik that he will be playing only three Tests in a Sky Sports interview.
“I mean, that decision should be entirely in the hands of the captain and the head coach. Not the entire coaching staff, but only the head coach and the captain. This is a must-win game for India. If they have to stay alive in the series, then you need your premier fast bowler playing. And no ifs and buts, he should have been playing,” he added.
