Former Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar is not impressed with Jasprit Bumrah not playing all the Test matches against England in order to manage his workload. It has been predecided before the England tour that Bumrah would play three out of the five Test matches.
The ace pacer had suffered a back injury in the fifth Test match against Australia at Sydney, which had kept him out of action for months. Bumrah was rested for the second Test match against England at Edgbaston despite an eight-day break between the first and second game.
There is a nine-day gap between the third Test match and the fourth Test and it would be interesting to note Bumrah’s availability after the visitors trail 1-2 in the series.
Bumrah has picked 12 wickets in two Test matches of the series at an impressive average of 21.
“What is important is playing for India and if you are unfit, then don’t play at all. He had a gap of almost 7-8 days after the first Test match, but still was not included for the second Test, which was not acceptable. Maybe it was acceptable for Agarkar and Gambhir,” Dilip Vengsarkar said in an interview with RevSportz.
“I’m not in favour of bowlers picking and choosing Test matches. If you’re fit and available, you should play all the matches for your country. Bumrah is a world-class bowler, and he can win matches for India. But once you’re on tour, you need to play every match. There’s no question of selecting matches based on personal preference,” he added.
On the other hand, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja scored a crucial knock of 61 runs off 181 balls but he could not take the team over the line in the run-chase of 193. The former Mumbai batter said Jadeja would have been shattered after Siraj was dismissed.
“Someone needed to take a risk, and Bumrah tried his best. Jadeja kept the hopes alive for us, but it wasn’t to be. Siraj tried but you don’t expect your No 11 to be around for a long time. Jadeja might have been absolutely shattered,” Vengsarkar said.
The fourth Test match between England and India will be played at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, from July 23 onwards.
