Former England spinner Monty Panesar has suggested India should consider resting world number one Jasprit Bumrah for the Edgbaston Test. He believes this might actually help them perform better against England there.
Bumrah led India’s pace attack in the first match at Headingley, but India still lost. He bowled well in the first innings, taking 5 wickets for 83 runs, but did not get any wickets in the second innings. England chased down 371 runs, which was their second-highest successful run chase in Tests.
With India trailing 1-0 in the series, there were talks that Bumrah might be rested for the Birmingham Test starting July 2. Panesar said giving the 31-year-old a break could help India choose bowlers better suited to Edgbaston’s conditions.
“India should think about resting him so the bowling attack matches Edgbaston’s conditions better. This strategic move could improve their performance on that important pitch,” Panesar told ANI.
Even though Bumrah didn’t take wickets in England’s second innings, he was still India’s most dependable fast bowler. He ended the match with overall figures of 5 wickets for 140 runs in 43.4 overs, with an economy rate of 3.20. In comparison, the other pacers—Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna—together took 9 wickets for 482 runs in 92 overs, showing they were less effective.
After the match, head coach Gautam Gambhir said the team would stick to their plan of playing Bumrah in only three Tests. While some fans and former players wanted him to play all five matches, Gambhir said the team wanted to manage his workload carefully.
During a recent practice session, left-arm seamers Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep bowled long spells in the nets. Arshdeep especially worked on bowling with the older ball from around the wicket to right-handers, suggesting India may plan to use reverse swing in Birmingham’s conditions.
India’s squad for the England series:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England’s squad for the 2nd Test:
Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
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