Shastri Urges India to Reconsider Resting Bumrah After Headingley Defeat

Shastri's Cautionary Note: Should India Rethink Resting Bumrah?

Following India's recent defeat at Headingley, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has suggested a reconsideration of resting Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming Tests against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. This comes after India's five-wicket loss where Bumrah showcased his prowess by claiming five wickets.

Jasprit Bumrah with Shubman Gill discussing strategy on the field.

The current plan, as outlined by head coach Gautam Gambhir, involves managing Bumrah's workload by having him participate in only three of the five Tests.

In the Headingley Test, Bumrah delivered match figures of 5-140 across 43.4 overs, securing all his wickets in the first innings.

Shastri, speaking on Sky Sports, emphasized the potential risks of sidelining Bumrah: "If he was looking at a rest, you may have to think twice. If you don't have him and then go 2-0 down it could be an uphill task."

The performance of other Indian seamers – Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna – who collectively took 9 wickets for 482 runs in 92 overs, could also influence the decision regarding Bumrah's participation in the second Test scheduled to begin on July 2 at Edgbaston.

Shastri further commented on India's loss: "This will be a tough pill for India to swallow. You don't get in positions like this very often and blow it from there. They had a chance to take England out of the contest and dictate terms."

He also highlighted the need for resilience from the lower order batsmen: "They have to learn and they need more bottle from the tail, for them to be stubborn and put a price tag on their wicket. There is a big role for the coaching staff to take the positives. As a captain, Gill has done more than can be asked of him. He got a hundred in his first Test in charge and the dropped catches (and collapses) are not in his control."

Former England captain Nasser Hussain also weighed in on Gill's captaincy and India's overall showing.

"I saw someone finding his way. He didn't quite have that on-field aura of Rohit and (Virat Kohli). I thought he followed the ball a lot and was reactive rather than proactive. When Rohit and Kohli captained, you looked down and you immediately knew who was in charge but when I looked down in this game I saw two or three captains, captaincy by committee," Hussain remarked.

Hussain pinpointed key areas of concern: "But India lost from two things Gill couldn't control - drops and collapses. The collapses concern me. In India they have had spin-bowling all-rounders that are magnificent - Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel - but in England they are still looking for a seam-bowling all-rounder who can bat. If they keep going 6-31 and 7-41 this could be a quick series," he concluded.