India’s decision to rest pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test against England at Edgbaston has sparked controversy, with head coach Gautam Gambhir facing criticism from cricket experts. India, who trail 0-1 in the series, had a week-long break between the first and second Test matches. Despite this, the team management stuck to their pre-decided plan of having Bumrah play only three Tests out of five, drawing reactions from former players including Ravi Shastri, Dale Steyn and Kumar Sangakkara.The team management made three changes to the playing XI for the Edgbaston Test. Along with Bumrah being replaced by Akash Deep, Shardul Thakur made way for Nitish Reddy, and Sai Sudharsan was replaced by Washington Sundar. Additionally, Karun Nair was promoted to the number three position.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The decision to rest Bumrah has particularly come under scrutiny given the importance of the match and India’s recent Test record. The team has lost seven Tests since September last year, with only one win and one draw to show for their efforts in last nine.
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara questioned the decision-making process behind Bumrah’s exclusion, suggesting that the situation demanded a different approach.“Interesting to understand how the decision is being made and who makes it? Is it after a consultation with the players or the physios? It depends on whether the Lord’s Test is more important than the series? The series is on the line. If we see the score, it’s an even day, perhaps a little bit more tilted towards England with the five wickets down. So I would have expected the coach to have gone to Bumrah and say ‘Yes, we thought you might play the 3rd and the 5th Test, but we’re going 1 and 2. Take a look if you can play the third if you can, because then you’ve got two weeks off before the next one,” Sangakkara said on Sky Sports.One perspective suggests that Bumrah was rested to ensure his fitness for the upcoming Lord’s Test. However, critics argue that with India already trailing in the series, his presence could have been crucial in preventing a potential 0-2 deficit.Sangakkara also pointed out that the multiple changes in the playing XI might be a reflection of the pressure on the team management due to recent results.“It’s not just a reaction to the last Test. I think there is a bit of chat about the last 9-10. Seven losses, one win, one draw. There is a little bit of baggage as well to turn that pattern around. So there was a lot of pressure and they were looking at this game and thinking ‘alright, what can we do?’ and they ring in all the changes,” Sangakkara added.
