Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah should play the second Test of the ongoing five-match away series against England. The hosts secured a five-wicket victory in the opening encounter at Headingley, Leeds, successfully chasing down a 371-run target in the final innings.
Bumrah is likely to feature in just three games of the series due to workload management. Ashwin opined that the ace speedster’s availability for the second Test becomes crucial, with India trailing 0-1 in the rubber.
Suggesting that the Gautam Gambhir-led team management should make one change to the lineup by bringing in left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin said on his YouTube video (from 17:51):
Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers in England’s first innings. He was the lone warrior for the visitors. The 31-year-old bagged his 14th five-wicket haul in the format. He remained wicketless in the run chase, which significantly dented India’s chances of defending the target.
Lauding Bumrah’s performance, Ashwin added (from 22:43):
It remains to be seen if Bumrah will be rested for the upcoming second Test or not. The match will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, from July 2 to 6.
Jasprit Bumrah didn’t get enough support from the rest of the Indian bowlers in the opening contest. Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Mohammed Siraj needs to step up and take some pressure off Bumrah.
He suggested that even if Siraj doesn’t pick up wickets, he should ensure that the English batters aren’t able to score runs freely. Ashwin remarked in the same video (from 19:01):
Siraj performed underwhelmingly at Headingley. He claimed two wickets in England’s first innings and failed to pick up a single scalp in the subsequent essay.
Aditya Suketu Desai
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