Jasprit Bumrah took 14 wickets from three Tests against England.
Veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane hailed pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his clarity during the Test series against England. The Gujarat speedster played just three Tests against England, as was initially planned, and took 14 wickets, which included two five-wicket hauls.
This was done in a bid to manage his workload, given that the 31-year-old had sustained a back spasm during the fifth Test against Australia earlier this year.
“What I liked about the Bumrah situation was that he was pretty clear; he knew what he wanted to do before the series. He said, ‘I’ll play the first one, I won’t play the second one, and then I’ll play the third’. Great clarity for a captain. It shows that he has the courage to tell the captain and management to be really clear,” Rahane commented while speaking on his official YouTube channel.
“It also shows that he is keeping the team ahead of himself. Sometimes it is not easy to do so when you are playing for India. As a player, when you are representing India, it’s not easy. Sometimes players convey the same message to the team, and then they get dropped,” he added.
Rahane led India to a memorable 2-1 Test series win over Australia Down Under in 2020-21, but last played a Test in July 2023 against West Indies.
The Mumbai batter said that should the team management want Bumrah to play all Tests in a series, then maybe he should be used for only small spells like three or four overs.
“It just shows that he wanted the team to be well prepared even when he wasn’t playing. Because of his unique action, there is a lot of load on his body. If you want Bumrah to play all five Tests, then use him in smaller spells like 3 overs or 4 overs,” the 37-year-old stated.
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Bumrah played all five Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, and ended as the highest wicket-taker in the series with 32 wickets from five matches.
“I think England were wary of Bumrah when he was playing; ‘Bazball’ didn’t come out to the full extent. When Bumrah wasn’t there, they played a little freely. It is important to use him properly; you have to give him the luxury to get the best out of him,” he said.
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