 "Jasprit Bumrah is set to play no more than three Tests in the tour of England due to his strict workload management in the aftermath of a recent back injury. AP")
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Jasprit Bumrah should definitely play the second Test against England at Edgbaston. Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said that India don’t have a choice and that Bumrah’s inclusion is crucial after what happened in the first match at Headingley.
Manjrekar calls for Bumrah’s inclusion in 2nd Test
India lost the match by 5 wickets despite scoring fice centuries. Indian bowlers failed to defend a 371-run target in the final innings as England batters chased down with ease. India performed poorly on the field apart from struggling in the bowling department. India are 1-0 down in the series and are under pressure to win the second one.
“I mean there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind and I don’t think India has a choice. He’s got to play. He didn’t bowl as much as one would have thought in the second innings. Plus, he didn’t take to the field towards the end as well. Long enough gap and if he doesn’t play now and you have seen how the bowling attack looks, even with Bumrah in the second innings in the last test. So Bumrah’s got to play. And I know, he’s not going to play the full series but play this one and we’ll see what happens in the next because it just doesn’t make sense for him to take a break at this juncture in the series,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
Manjrekar said that India don’t have a choice now and can drop Bumrah later in the series to manage his workload. The former cricketer-turned-commentator said that Bumrah must play the second Test and see what happens in the future, considering India’s position in the series at the moment. He added that decisions on Bumrah’s availability should be taken one Test at a time.
“I believe 1,3 and 5 and 2,4 and 6 is a good concept as I have said before, for parking. Not for playing a cricketer and a player like Bumrah. So I find this almost nonsensical, you know this talk about he’ll play 1,3 and 5. You just have to be realistic in sports and life as well. You can’t pre-empt anything and India did well when Bumrah played the first Test. And whatever the talk is, I don’t see him resting in the second Test and India also know that he’s got to play in the second Test. And I always believe that instead of making long term plans, there’s always gonna be clarity, absolute clarity at the end of every Test match. Whether Bumrah should play the next or rest the next,” he added.
India are scheduled to play the second Test against England starting 2 July. Bumrah’s inclusion is still not officially confirmed, though he has been declared fit. In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, India skipper Shubman Gill said Bumrah is available for selection but a call on his inclusion will be made after looking at the pitch.