The decision to leave Jasprit Bumrah out of India's Playing XI for the second Test against England in Birmingham continues to draw flak, with no one copping it more than head coach Gautam Gambhir. Despite trailing 0-1 in the series and a week-long gap between the first and second Tests, Bumrah was rested, considering his workload management, a call that left many former cricketers baffled, including Ravi Shastri and Dale Steyn. However, the fact that it was pre-decided that Bumrah is going to play three Tests out of five is what divides opinion.
Gambhir was very vocal about it. He was adamant that the team's plan wouldn't change. And this stubbornness is what seems to have landed him in hot water. One school of thought suggests that Bumrah was rested because they want him fit for the all-important Lord's Test. The surface at Edgbaston didn’t do much on Day 1. But then again, neither did the pitch at Leeds. And we all know the result. In such a scenario, would it not have made more sense to play Bumrah at Edgbaston to give India the best chance of avoiding a 0-2 deficit? Well, one would never know the answer, but Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lanka captain, suggests Bumrah was a must for this Test.
“Interesting to understand how the decision is being made and who makes it? Is it after a consultation with the players or the physios? It depends on whether the Lord’s Test is more important than the series? The series is on the line. If we see the score, it’s an even day, perhaps a little bit more tilted towards England with the five wickets down. So I would have expected the coach to have gone to Bumrah and say ‘Yes, we thought you might play the 3rd and the 5th Test, but we’re going 1 and 2. Take a look if you can play the third if you can, because then you’ve got two weeks off before the next one,” he said on Sky Sports.
'There is a little bit of baggage,' says Sangakkara
{{/usCountry}}“Interesting to understand how the decision is being made and who makes it? Is it after a consultation with the players or the physios? It depends on whether the Lord’s Test is more important than the series? The series is on the line. If we see the score, it’s an even day, perhaps a little bit more tilted towards England with the five wickets down. So I would have expected the coach to have gone to Bumrah and say ‘Yes, we thought you might play the 3rd and the 5th Test, but we’re going 1 and 2. Take a look if you can play the third if you can, because then you’ve got two weeks off before the next one,” he said on Sky Sports.
'There is a little bit of baggage,' says Sangakkara
{{/usCountry}}No Bumrah wasn't the only surprise in India's Playing XI. The team management made three changes. Bumrah was replaced by Akash Deep, Shardul Thakur by Nitish Reddy and Sai Sudharsan by Washington Sundar. Besides, the decision to make Karun Nair bat at 3 suddenly from No. 6 at Headingley also raised eyebrows. Too much chopping and changing only reflects panic in a camp, but Sangakkara reckons there's more to it. He strongly feels that Gambhir is carrying the baggage of India’s poor Test record, which has seen them lose 7 Tests since September last year, with him.
“It’s not just a reaction to the last Test. I think there is a bit of chat about the last 9-10. Seven losses, one win, one draw. There is a little bit of baggage as well to turn that pattern around. So there was a lot of pressure and they were looking at this game and thinking ‘alright, what can we do?’ and they ring in all the changes," added Sangakkara