India’s decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test while they are looking to bounce back from a bruising defeat in the first hasn’t gone down too well in a number of quarters. Australia women’s captain Alyssa Healy has now said that it is somewhat sad that Bumrah is largely seen as the only real weapon India have to force a victory in Test cricket.
“I find that sad that that’s what we talk about,” said Healy on the Willow Talk podcast. Healy pointed out that India had five centurions in the first Test in addition to Bumrah’s five-wicket haul in the England first innings but it was the hosts who won the match despite not exhibiting individual brilliance of that kind.
“We feel like that’s the only way India are going to win the game and I feel that is a really sad way to look at it because they had five hundreds in that game, one guy got a fifer. England had one guy make a hundred and a couple of partnerships won the game,” said Healy. “England won because the team played well, India individually played really well.”
India had a mixed day on the first day of the second Test at Headingley but captain Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja helped them close the day out well. The pair continued where they left on Day 2, taking India beyond the 400-run mark and themselves putting up more than 200 runs for the sixth wicket. The stand finally ended with Jadeja falling on 89 off 137 balls. The pair had put up 203 runs in 279 balls.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri didn’t mince any words on his feelings about Bumrah being rested after toss on Day 1. “This is a very important match, they’ve had a week off. I’m little surprised Bumrah is not playing this game. It should be taken out of the player’s hand. It should be the captain and the head coach that should decide who should be playing the 11. This is an important game in the context of the series, he should be playing this game more than anything else. Lord’s can come later. This is the important game where you have to counter-punch almost straightaway,” said Shastri, who had led India to back to back Test series wins in Australia as head coach.
“Play this one. Make it 1-1 and then give him the option: you want to rest at Lord’s, rest at Lord’s. You think he’ll rest at Lord’s? No chance if you win this,” he said.
