He bowled the most overs by an Indian pacer in the Headingley Test, 1.4 more than Prasidh Krishna.
Indian team management’s decision to rest pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test against England at Edgbaston didn’t go well with former legendary players – Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar. Shastri and Gavaskar expressed their frustration during the official broadcast, calling it baffling and hard to believe. Overall, India made three changes to their playing XI for the second Test, bringing in Akash Deep for Bumrah, while Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur have been replaced with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar.
The call to rest Bumrah was driven by a long-term plan, with three more Tests to follow. But the criticism revolves around timing. The Shubman Gill-led side is trailing 0-1 in the five-match series. Another loss will leave India on the cusp of yet another series loss.
MAL
55/0
HKG
52/4
WI
–
AUS
–
RWA
157/5
ML
158/1
Malawi beat Rwanda by 9 wickets
TBC
–
TBC
–
ROM
178/6
LUX
133/10
Romania won by 45 runs
HUN
168/9
AUST
169/6
Austria beat Hungary by 4 wickets
AUST
245/7
LUX
179/5
Austria beat Luxembourg by 66 runs
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
ALZ
88/10
JIHCC
163/4
Jinnah CC Stockholm beat Alby Zalmi by 75 runs
RPH
123/6
MAR
150/4
Marsta CC beat Rising Phoenix by 27 runs
JIHCC
153/9
ALZ
168/4
Alby Zalmi CC beat Jinnah CC by 15 runs
RPH
166/4
JIHCC
78/10
Rising Phoenix beat Jinnah CC by 88 runs
ALZ
68/2
RPH
99/7
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
BOT-W
143/6
MWW-W
78/10
Botswana Women beat Malawi Women by 65 runs
EWW-W
40/10
LSN-W
88/9
Lesotho Women beat Eswatini Women by 48 runs
RWA-W
135/7
SLO-W
84/10
Rwanda Women beat Sierra Leone Women by 51 runs
CW-W
88/8
MZW-W
87/8
Cameroon Women beat Mozambique Women by 2 wickets
GUJCC
–
SUL
–
CHK
–
TCC
–
FRC
122/4
KLG
108/6
Fatemi Resources Cricket Club beat KL Gladiators by 14 runs
JBK
80/4
SWCL
106/5
Sky Warriors Cricket Club beat JB Kings by 26 runs
UTC
78/4
MXC
80/2
Maxx Cricket Club beat Utkal Cricket Club by 8 wickets
MKP
75/4
MBMS
73/10
MR KB Putrajaya beat MB Malik Sports UMZ by 6 wickets
FRC
–
MXC
–
JBK
–
MBMS
–
UTC
–
KLG
–
MKP
–
SWCL
–
UAE
141/5
NIG
88/10
United Arab Emirates beat Nigeria by 53 runs
KNY
126/6
NBA
123/2
Kenya beat Namibia A by 3 runs
KNY
–
NIG
–
UAE
–
UGA
–
VMK
–
MMS
–
MAK
154/9
BDS
155/4
Boost Defenders beat Mis Ainak Knights by 6 wickets
ASS
174/4
SGT
173/6
Amo Sharks beat Speen Ghar Tigers by 6 wickets
WIU19-W
11/1
USAU19-W
66/9
WIU19-W
–
USAU19-W
–
TBLZ-W
–
BRB-W
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
Match Cancelled
SUR-W
–
TBC
–
IAC
203/4
AAC
207/6
Australia Champions beat India Champions by 4 wickets
PNC
95/1
WIC
–
SAC
–
AAC
–
IAC
–
EDC
–
NZ
180/5
SA
92/1
IRE-W
288/9
ZIM-W
182/8
The former Indian coach was upset to leave out Bumrah for an important match in the series.
“If you look Michael Atherton said at the time of the toss, look at the run India has had, this becomes a very, very important Test match. You lost three against New Zealand, three against Australia, and you lost the first match here. You want to get back to the winning ways. And you have the best fast bowler in the world on your side, and you sit him out after seven days of rest is something hard to believe,” said former India head coach Shastri.
Ahead of the first session, he continued to speak about India’s selection calls from the commentary box.
“I think it should be taken out of the player’s hand: it should be the captain and coaching staff that should decide who should be in the playing XI,” he added.
Shastri’s remarks come on the back of Bumrah deciding to play only three of the five Tests. Bumrah’s decision is driven by workload management due to his recurring back injury. The reappearance during the last Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 ruled Bumrah out of action for the Champions Trophy 2025 and a few initial matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The right-arm pacer featured in the first Test against England after nearly 20 days’ break after the IPL 2025. The speedster bowled 43.4 overs in the Headingley Test and picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings. However, there was a seven-day gap between the two Tests, a good amount of time to recover.
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Echoing Shastri’s sentiments, Gavaskar also questioned the team selection, especially the exclusions of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and Bumrah.
“Kuldeep isn’t picked. Bumrah is saved just to play at Lord’s. This management’s decisions are baffling,” said Gavaskar on the official broadcast (Sony Sports Network) after the toss. “I’m a little baffled that Kuldeep wasn’t picked, because on a pitch like this, where everybody says there’s a little more turn. So, where you needed strengthening was in the wicket-taking department, not so much in the batting.”
Kuldeep could have been an attacking bowler, especially in the absence of India’s premium fast bowler. He also has an exceptional record against the hosts, having picked up 19 wickets in four Tests at 20.15 in 2024. Additionally, England’s unfamiliarity with Kuldeep’s style of bowling could have helped India, especially on the fourth and fifth days. Notably, the Chinaman last played an overseas Test in 2019 against Australia in Sydney.
India’s performance in recent times hasn’t been impressive. They have managed just one win in their last nine red-ball matches, including a whitewash at home against New Zealand, a 3-1 defeat in BGT, and a series opener against England. Adding to their concerns is their dismal record at Edgbaston, seven losses and a draw in eight games.
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Malaysia won by 10 wickets