India’s strategy for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series in England has come under scrutiny, particularly concerning the management of their star pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. Before the tour began, head coach Gautam Gambhir had stated that Bumrah would not feature in all five Tests, aiming to limit his participation to three matches without specifying which ones.
Despite a strong batting performance with five centuries and a five-wicket haul from Bumrah, India lost the series opener in Leeds. With the Shubman Gill-led side now trailing 0-1, the decision to rest their ace bowler for the second Test in Birmingham, which began on Wednesday, has drawn significant criticism. Former England cricketer David Lloyd has joined the chorus of detractors. He questioned India’s rationale for managing Bumrah’s workload, especially given the seven-day gap between the first and second Tests, which he believes provided ample time for rest and recovery.
“Let’s talk about Jasprit Bumrah. If you are the best bowler in the world, your team is trailing and you’ve just had a week off, you should be fit, firing and ready to go again,” Lloyd wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. He further elaborated, “The plot thickens. Has Jasprit said ‘I’ll miss this Test and play at Lord’s’ or have the Indian medics said he’s not ready to play? There’s an air of mystery. I’m old school. If you’re a cricketer, then play cricket.”
For the second Test, India made three changes to their playing XI from Leeds, benching B Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur, in addition to resting Bumrah. Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep were brought in as their replacements. Lloyd suggested that these changes indicate the team’s apprehension about potential batting collapses, leading them to lengthen their tail.
“India made three changes and what I’m hearing is that their camp would be happy to get to Lord’s, just one-nil down. They lengthened the tail after the collapses at Headingley and my interpretation is that they’ve loaded this team with batters and would be happy with a draw. If you get into that mindset before you’ve even started, you’re shooting yourself in the foot,” he wrote.
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