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Key Points

Ravi Shastri believes India must reconsider resting Jasprit Bumrah if they fall 2-0 behind England. The former coach highlighted India's bowling struggles, with other seamers failing to step up. Shubman Gill's captaincy was critiqued as reactive, while lower-order collapses remain a major worry. Nasser Hussain pointed out India's lack of a seam-bowling all-rounder as a key weakness.

Key Points: Shastri Urges India to Reconsider Resting Bumrah After England Defeat

  • Shastri warns India against resting Bumrah after Headingley loss
  • India's seamers struggle with combined figures of 9-482
  • Gill's captaincy questioned as reactive by Nasser Hussain
  • Lower-order collapses a major concern for India
3 min read

If they go 2-0 down, it could be an uphill task: Shastri wants India to reconsider resting Bumrah

Ravi Shastri warns India against resting Jasprit Bumrah if they trail 2-0, citing England's dominance and India's bowling struggles.

If they go 2-0 down, it could be an uphill task: Shastri wants India to reconsider resting Bumrah
"If you don't have him and then go 2-0 down, it could be an uphill task. – Ravi Shastri"

New Delhi, June 25

Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, believes the side might need to rethink their plan of resting Jasprit Bumrah if they go 2-0 behind to England in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series.

In India’s five-wicket defeat to England at Headingley, Bumrah recorded match figures of 5-140 from 43.4 overs – with all five of his scalps coming in the first innings.

"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," said Shastri on Sky Sports.

As stated by head coach Gautam Gambhir, Bumrah will play only three of the five Tests against England in order to manage his workload. But with other seamers – Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna - registering combined figures of 9-482 in 92 overs – India might be tempted to play Bumrah in the second Test at Edgbaston, starting on July 2.

Shastri also thinks the manner in which India lost a Test they should have won will sting them very hard. "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."

"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," he added.

Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, felt Gill was reactive rather than proactive in his captaincy on final day’s play, and added that the lower-order batting collapses in both innings for the tourists’ is a big concern.

"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."

"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."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Shastri is absolutely right! Why rest Bumrah when the series is on the line? We don't have depth in pace bowling to afford this luxury. Management needs to be practical, not rigid about workload management when the team is struggling. 🇮🇳 #TeamIndia
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Priya M.
The real issue is our tailenders can't bat at all in overseas conditions! Bumrah can't win matches alone. We need proper all-rounders like England have. When will our selectors understand this basic requirement for Test cricket? 😤
A
Arjun S.
I disagree with Shastri here. Bumrah's fitness is more important than one series. We've seen what happened to Bhuvi when we overused him. Long-term vision matters. Maybe try new pacers like Arshdeep in Tests?
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Sneha R.
Gill did his best as new captain. It's unfair to compare him with legends like Kohli in his first match! The real culprits were the dropped catches and pathetic lower-order batting. Need to support our young players through failures 🙏
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Vikram J.
England series is important but we have bigger fish to fry - the Australia tour later this year. Need Bumrah fit for that. Maybe compromise by playing him in 4 Tests instead of 3? Balance is key. #CricketThoughts
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Neha P.
The way we collapsed twice is embarrassing! Where's the famous Indian batting lineup? We miss Pant's fighting spirit in these situations. Hope management works on mental toughness before next Test. 🤞

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