Ravi Shastri Warns India: Risk of Bumrah Rest Looms Large After Headingley Defeat

Shastri's Stern Warning: Reconsider Resting Bumrah Against England

Jasprit Bumrah with his captain Shubman Gill (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has issued a warning to the Indian team management, urging them to reconsider resting Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming Tests against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. This comes after India's disappointing five-wicket defeat at Headingley, where Bumrah showcased his brilliance by taking five wickets.

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

In the Headingley Test, Bumrah displayed his bowling prowess, recording match figures of 5-140 from 43.4 overs, with all his wickets falling in the first innings.

Shastri, speaking on Sky Sports, emphasized the potential consequences of resting Bumrah, stating, "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, including Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna, who collectively conceded 9-482 in 92 overs, may further influence the decision to include Bumrah in the second Test at Edgbaston, commencing on July 2.

Shastri expressed his disappointment with India's performance, saying, "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 further 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 assessment of Gill's captaincy and India's overall performance.

Hussain observed, "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."

He 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."