Shastri Urges India to Reconsider Bumrah Rest Strategy After Headingley Defeat

Shastri's Cautionary Note: Rethinking Bumrah's Rest Against England

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has suggested that the Indian team management should reconsider their strategy of resting Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming Test matches against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. This suggestion comes after India's recent five-wicket defeat at Headingley, where Bumrah showcased his brilliance by taking five wickets.

The current plan, as articulated by head coach Gautam Gambhir, involves Bumrah participating in only three of the five Tests to manage his workload effectively.

In the Headingley Test, Bumrah delivered impressive match figures of 5-140 across 43.4 overs, securing all his wickets in the first innings.

Shastri, speaking on Sky Sports, emphasized the potential consequences of resting Bumrah, "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."

The performance of the other Indian seamers – Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna – who collectively took 9 wickets for 482 runs in 92 overs, may also influence the decision regarding Bumrah's participation in the second Test, scheduled to begin on July 2 at Edgbaston.

Shastri further commented on India's performance, "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."

He added, "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."

Former England captain Nasser Hussain also shared his observations on Shubman Gill's captaincy and India's overall showing.

"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," Hussain noted.

Hussain concluded, "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."