India’s tour of England has begun with a mix of triumphs and disappointments. While Indian batters collectively amassed five centuries and Jasprit Bumrah delivered a five-wicket haul, the team ultimately suffered a series-opening defeat in Leeds.
Despite these brilliant individual performances, the final outcome wasn’t in their favor, largely due to a litany of errors. Shubman Gill impressed with his batting on his captaincy debut, yet his on-field tactics drew scrutiny. Fielding mishaps were prominent, with a staggering eight catches dropped. Although Bumrah continued to lead the pace attack with distinction, he received minimal support from his fellow bowlers.
Bumrah bowled nearly 45 overs across both innings, making him the second-most utilized Indian bowler in the match. This workload once again exposed the team’s significant reliance on his exceptional talent. Given that the 31-year-old is expected to participate in three of the five Tests during the tour, speculation has arisen about the possibility of resting him for the second match in Edgbaston to manage his workload.
However, former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin disagrees with the notion of giving his former teammate a break, especially with India trailing 0-1 in the series. In fact, the legendary spinner advises against making numerous changes to the team.
“First of all, after playing such a good Test, I’m not going to make three changes in the team. Considering we are 1-0 down, I would ask Jasprit Bumrah to play the second Test, try and get even in the series and then he can take a break. There’s a considerable break between the 3rd and 4th Test, he can take rest then. I will just bring Kuldeep (Yadav) in and make no other changes,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel.
What do you think, will Bumrah play 2nd test match?
