Bumrah`s rest will be India`s true Test

Will the Indian think-tank press the panic button and make a few changes in desperation after the defeat in the first Test at Headingley on Tuesday? From the looks of it, coach Gautam Gambhir seems to have taken the blow on the chin and is determined to continue backing his players. “You win as a team and you lose as a team,” he said after the five-wicket defeat here. But there is no doubt that a couple of changes are on the cards for the second Test at Birmingham that begins on July 2. Here, too, the coach was non-committal about the line of thinking, saying that the “strategy and selection will depend on the type of pitch at Edgbaston”.

There is a week’s gap before the second Test, which gives Gambhir, captain Shubman Gill and chief selector Ajit Agarkar enough time to ponder the line of action. The biggest concern is how to manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload, as Gambhir made it amply clear during the post-match media interaction on Tuesday that the bowling spearhead will play in only three Test matches in this series and will be rested for two.

Since the head coach has already cleared the air about Bumrah, and there are already reports that Bumrah might not play the Birmingham Test, it will be interesting to see the repercussions of resting him. There is no doubt that the Indian attack without Bumrah will lack sting and will struggle to take 20 wickets. So, the moot point is how the think-tank will find an adequate replacement for him.

In the Headingley Test, Bumrah’s workload was gradually reduced as the match progressed. In the first innings, he sent down 24.4 overs of the 100 overs, and bagged five wickets. But in the second, he was used sparingly, sending down only 19 of the 96 overs and failed to take any wickets, though he looked the most impressive.

He was distinctly unlucky as he bowled a fiery spell in the morning session, but could not provide the much-needed breakthrough, leading to a comfortable England victory. It will be interesting to see which two games Burmah will miss out. Resting him for the second Test in Birmingham seems logical as he would surely want to play the third Test at the iconic Lord’s. Depending on India’s position in the series by then, he may play the fourth game at Manchester and then resting for the Oval match.

Thus, going forward, it’s going to be a big challenge for Gambhir & Co as a few players have failed to contribute substantially in the first Test, and to add to it, the limited use of Bumrah during the five-match series.

How India’s pacers fared at Leeds

Mohammad Siraj
1st innings: 27 overs, 122 runs, 2 wickets
2nd innings: 14 overs 51 runs, no wickets  

Prasidh Krishna
1st innings: 20 overs, 128 runs, 3 wickets  
2nd innings: 15 overs, 92 runs, 2 wickets

Shardul Thakur
1st innings: 6 overs, 38 runs, 0 wickets
2nd innings: 10 overs, 51 runs, 2 wickets

This article first appeared on Mid Day