Former India coach Ravi Shastri has indicated that India could be compelled to review their workload management strategy for pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah if they go 2-0 down in the current five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.
Talking on Sky Sports following India's five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Headingley, Shastri claimed, "If Bumrah was to be rested, they might have to reconsider now. Going 2-0 behind in a five-match series could make it very tough."
Bumrah took 5 wickets for 140 runs from almost 44 overs in the game — all five in England's first innings. Though he was India's top bowler, the remainder of the pace attack was not impressive. Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna between them took 9 wickets for 482 runs in 92 overs, an economy rate that was nothing to write home about.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir had already indicated that Bumrah will play no more than three Tests in this series to regulate his workload. But with the rest of the seamers underperforming, there can be a temptation for the team management to include him in the second Test against England at Edgbaston from July 2.
Shastri also commented on the match itself, describing it as a bitter defeat. "This will hurt India. You don't very often get into such good positions and lose the game. They had England on the ropes and ought to have dictated terms," he said.
He stressed the requirement of more resilience from India's lower order. "The tail needs to fight more. They need to learn to place a value on their wickets. It's the responsibility of the coaching staff to identify the positives from this loss."
In Shubman Gill's inaugural match as Test captain, Shastri was generous. "Did what he was supposed to do. Scored a hundred on his captaincy debut in Tests. Can't fault him for dropped chances or collapses while batting.
Nevertheless, ex-England captain Nasser Hussain believed Gill's captaincy on the fourth day was too reactive. "He appeared to react to the ball more than expecting things to happen. With Rohit or Kohli, you knew immediately who was in charge. In this case, it appeared more like a collective responsibility in the field."
Hussain was also worried about the lower-order weakness of India. "Their collapses — 6 for 31 and 7 for 41 — are worrying. In Indian conditions, spin-bowling all-rounders such as Jadeja or Ashwin are able to plug the holes. But here in England, they haven't yet identified a seam-bowling all-rounder who can also bat. If it keeps happening, the series might finish earlier than planned."
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