India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has urged the Men in Blue to rest their star players, including Jasprit Bumrah, for the final Asia Cup 2025 league stage fixture against Oman on Friday and consider even offering a break to the star pacer for the opening Super 4 fixture against Pakistan.
Gavaskar also said India could experiment with the batting order in the dead-rubber contest against Oman, offering some batting time to players who haven’t had as much time out in the middle as the others in the two dominant wins against the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
“I would like to think that India would consider batting first and keep the same opening pair. Maybe number three, Suryakumar Yadav, the skipper, could drop himself down the order, giving Tilak Verma a chance for some time at the crease and allowing Sanju Samson a bit of a hit as well,” Gavaskar said during an interaction on the Sony Sports network.
“This would give the batters some practice not just for the game against Pakistan, but also for the upcoming Super 4 matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It’s more about preparing the batters than the bowlers,” he added.
‘Rest Bumrah’
“I believe Jasprit Bumrah should be rested, perhaps even for the Pakistan game, so he’s available for the bigger match on Sunday, the 28th. That’s what India should be looking at. Of course, there will still need to be one bench player included, but Bumrah should be left out for tomorrow’s game to give him rest,” Gavaskar added.
Returning to action for the first time since the England Test series, Bumrah picked up three wickets in two matches. India are slated to take on Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka over the next eight days with the final slotted to be played in Dubai on September 28.
