Gambhir questioned over lack of secrecy surrounding Bumrah's plans in England: 'Why was it not kept a secret?'

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has come under criticism for his handling of pacer Jasprit Bumrah, especially with regards to letting the opposition know about the star pacer’s workload in the five-match series and which Tests he would be playing.

In the press conference following India’s five-wicket defeat at Headingley, where Bumrah collected 5/83 in the first innings and was the only bowler from either team to register a five-for, Gambhir confirmed that the star pacer would stick to the plan of playing no more than three Tests.

Two days after the defeats, reports of Bumrah getting ruled out of the second Test at Edgbaston , which gets underway on 2 July, became a major talking point, especially since the Shubman Gill-led visiting team will now be hoping to collect a series-leveling victory in the absence of the world’s best bowler across formats.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra, for one, questioned the “lack of secrecy” surrounding Bumrah’s plans for the ongoing series and wondered whether it was necessary on the part of the Indian team management to let the opposition know days in advance.

“Bumrah said he will play three matches only, and I am thinking whether it was required to publicise it. Why was it not kept a secret? We don’t announce our team as well. So why was it necessary to reiterate it repeatedly before the start of the tour that he would play three matches only? Let them guess. You play whichever Tests you wish,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“You have played one, and you know you can play only two of the remaining four matches, which is not a good thing. If you play the second as well, you will play one of three. So, suddenly, the opposition gets into a great frame of mind that Bumrah, your biggest strength, is also not there. You can prepare pitches accordingly,” he added.

Chopra urges the development of ’next generation of Indian fast bowlers’

Captain Gill and coach Gambhir reportedly are keen on having Bumrah fit and raring to go in the third Test at Lord’s, which will be getting underway just four days after the final day of the Edgbaston Test.

As for the second Test, it remains to be seen whom the visitors pick as Bumrah’s replacement in the attack, especially after the lack of support from pace colleagues Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur and even from senior left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja .

Chopra reckoned developing a pool of world-class fast bowlers will have to be top priority for the Indian team heading forward, looking at how bowlers other than Bumrah struggled in Leeds.

“The next generation of Indian fast bowlers will have to be prepared. It’s a serious issue. There were two important pillars of India’s good performance away from home. One was batters starting to score runs, but it doesn’t work out with that, as you need to pick up 20 wickets. So Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj were outstanding with Jasprit Bumrah.

“I also remember Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Lord’s Test. When there are doubts about Bumrah’s availability, who will take the responsibility going forward, because Mohammad Shami, I think that story is not over, but it is close to an ending. Mohammed Siraj is good, but he hasn’t reached the rank of Bumrah or Shami,” the cricketer-turned-commentator added.