Jasprit Bumrah headache adds new twist: Shubman Gill's India could ditch win, play for a draw at Edgbaston
The Indian camp is inclined towards aspiring for a draw – a dangerous ploy – in the second Test so that they are still in with a shot at clinching the series.
It’s impossible these days for Jasprit Bumrah not to figure in any conversation that involves the ongoing Test series in England. Available for only three out of five Tests? Sure, but should that have been made public even before the squad was announced? Workload management aimed at keeping his fragile body and his protesting back from giving in? Of course, because Bumrah is such a precious commodity that needs greater leeway than the rest. But set in stone? Hmmm…
It's been no different these last few days, from the time the Indians drove down to Birmingham from Leeds last Wednesday, still wondering how a Test they dominated for such large pockets got so emphatically away from them. Will Bumrah play at Edgbaston? Will this be the second of his three appearances this summer? How much has he recovered from his exertions at Headingley, where he bowled 43.4 overs across the two innings, the delight of five for 83 in the first neutralised by none for 57 from 19 overs in the second when his team was so dependent on its talisman to pull the fat out of the fire?
Bumrah turned up at practice on Friday, India’s first session since Leeds, but like Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, he did not bowl. On Saturday, he went full tilt though many of the top-order batters – skipper Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant – took the day off. After Sunday’s rest day, Bumrah accompanied the squad to the ground on Monday morning, and while Siraj, Prasidh and Akash Deep kicked off proceedings at the ‘fast bowlers’ nets’, Bumrah was engaged in a long conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir before heading off towards the dressing room.
Also Read | Shubman Gill breaks silence on Jasprit Bumrah's availability for 2nd Test: 'He is surely available but...'
He was back a little while later, wearing his bowling shoes like a cloak, and let it rip, looking in excellent rhythm during a short, snappy burst. But hey, when has Jasprit Bumrah not looked in rhythm?
Jasprit Bumrah's availability is a no-brainer
Now, what do India do with Bumrah, going into the second Test starting on Wednesday? At first glance, it would appear a no-brainer. India are 0-1 down, they can’t afford to fall 0-2 behind, they’ve had a week since the last game and Bumrah appears refreshed and recharged. Unleash him on England, give him an immediate chance to take out his frustrations of the Leeds second innings on the top order.
But things aren’t quite as straightforward. For one thing, Edgbaston in recent times has thrown up one flat track after another, almost a prerequisite for Bazball to succeed. For another, rain is predicted during various stages of the match and if the forecast holds good, the possibility of a stalemate becomes pronounced. One can’t, and shouldn’t, pick a side on the basis of the weather forecast, but if India do choose to go down that route, hoping to escape from here just 0-1 down with three to play and Bumrah available for two of them, the logic is obvious, even if one doesn’t agree with that philosophy.
From what one gathers, the thinking in the Indian camp is inclined towards aspiring for a draw – a dangerous ploy – in the second Test so that they are still in with a shot at clinching the series. One school of thought is what if Bumrah plays and bowls a reasonable number of overs before the weather intervenes. The third Test at Lord’s begins next Thursday (July 10) and it’s hard to see Bumrah playing two matches in a row with such a limited turnaround time. India would rather have a fully energised and chomping-at-the-bit Bumrah raring to have a dash at England at Lord’s than punt on him at Edgbaston, where some of the 12-millimetre covering of grass on the playing surface is likely to be shaved off closer to the start of play.
Some quarters are questioning the kid-gloves policy when it comes to Bumrah, but it must be kept in mind that Bumrah isn’t merely the first among equals. He has no equal – not in India, and nowhere else in the world currently, objectively speaking – and therefore deserves the ‘preferential treatment’ a few have accused him of receiving. There’s no disputing the fact that India with Bumrah and India without him are two vastly different threat-forces. Gill and Gambhir would love for Bumrah to be available to play every match. But can Bumrah play every Test, given medical advice and the pressing need for caution to prevent a repeat of Sydney in January, when a stress reaction of the back stopped him from bowling entirely in Australia’s second innings in the final Test, with the series still in the balance? As we said earlier in another context, another no-brainer.
