 "India pacer Jasprit Bumrah is second on the list of leading wicket-takers in the ongoing Test series in England with 12 wickets despite being rested for one match. Reuters")
Indian batting icon and former captain Dilip Vengsarkar has slammed star pacer Jasprit Bumrah for cherry-picking his appearances in the ongoing five-match Test series in England. Bumrah had played the series opener against Ben Stokes’ men at Headingley as well as the third Test at Lord’s, after being rested for the second Test at Edgbaston.
Bumrah, who remains the No 1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings , had earlier stated that he wasn’t going to play more than three matches out of five in the ongoing tour, the statement having been ratified by captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
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This after excess workload during the tour of Australia left him with a back injury in January and put him out of action for the next three months.
Vengsarkar urges players to represent India in all matches if fit
However, Vengsarkar, who had also served in the capacity of chief selector, felt that a player should play all matches for the country or not play at all regardless of his stature.
“What is important is playing for India, and if you are unfit, then don’t play at all. He had a gap of almost seven-eight days after the first Test match but still was not included for the second Test, which was not acceptable. Maybe it was acceptable for Agarkar and Gambhir,” Vengsarkar told Revsportz.
“I’m not in favour of bowlers picking and choosing Test matches. If you’re fit and available, you should play all the matches for your country. Bumrah is a world-class bowler, and he can win matches for India. But once you’re on tour, you need to play every match. There’s no question of selecting matches based on personal preference,” he added.
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India currently are trailing England 1-2 following defeats at Headingley and Lord’s, both of which had Bumrah in the playing XI. Gill and Co had leveled the series in style with a thumping 336-run victory in the second Test just days before handing the series lead back to the Ben Stokes-led hosts at the ‘Home of Cricket’.
With the series currently on the line, Bumrah is expected to feature in back-to-back Tests for the first time in the ongoing tour by playing in the fourth Test that takes place in Manchester next week .
It will then be a matter of conjecture whether Bumrah decides to play the fifth Test as well, thereby going against the three-out-of-five-Tests plan, if India level the series 2-2 at Old Trafford.