Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed strong reservations about the reported rotation plan for premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah during the ongoing Test series against England. Manjrekar argues that resting Bumrah at this critical juncture "makes little to no sense" and urges the team management to reconsider their strategy.
India made major alterations to its bowling attack for the second Test against England in Edgbaston, which began on July 2nd. Jasprit Bumrah was given a break due to a planned workload management policy. Head coach Gautam Gambhir explained that Bumrah's exclusion is not injury-related, but is part of India's plan to maintain Bumrah's fitness over the course of the five-test series.
Manjrekar's criticism stems from the perceived importance of Bumrah to India's bowling attack and the team's chances of success in the series. He suggests that Bumrah's workload in the first Test was manageable, and the gap between matches is sufficient for him to recover.
“I mean there's no doubt in anyone's mind and I don't think India has a choice. He's got to play. He didn't bowl as much as one would have thought in the second innings. Plus, he didn't take to the field towards the end as well. Long enough gap and if he doesn't play now and you have seen how the bowling attack looks, even with Bumrah in the second innings in the last test. So Bumrah's got to play. And I know, he's not going to play the full series but play this one and we'll see what happens in the next because it just doesn't make sense for him to take a break at this juncture in the series,” Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar further adds that instead of making long term plans, there needs to be absolute clarity at the end of every Test match on whether Bumrah should play the next or rest.
The team management had earlier stated that Bumrah would feature in three of the five Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. India have not decided which three Tests Bumrah will be a part of over the course of the English summer. He has played one, leaving him to feature in two out of the next four games.
Manjrekar isn't alone in his assessment of Bumrah's importance. In the first Test at Headingley, Bumrah picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Apart from Bumrah, the other bowlers weren't consistent enough with their lengths to test the England batters. Prasidh Krishna conceded runs at almost 6 runs per over. Mohammed Siraj hardly looked threatening.
Manjrekar's concerns highlight the dilemma faced by the Indian team management: balancing workload management with the need to field their best possible team in crucial matches. While the rationale behind resting Bumrah is to ensure his long-term fitness and availability, Manjrekar questions whether the benefits outweigh the risks of weakening the bowling attack in a critical Test match.
