By News18
Former England pacer Stuart Broad has said that a week is a very good time off for a pacer to recover from the stress of playing a five-day game, and thus, Jasprit Bumrah鈥檚 omission from the Edgbaston Test is a tad bit surprising, adding that he shouldn鈥檛 have revealed how many Tests he would play.
The Indian team declared well before the series that Bumrah would be available to play in just three Tests, coming on the back of a hectic IPL 2025 and a back injury before that.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill agreed that Bumrah will play the designated number of games, irrespective of how the series in England pans out.
India went for the bold route, resting Bumrah with a 0-1 deficit still looming over their heads.
鈥淎 week is a very good time off for a pacer. [Bumrah鈥檚 omission] does surprise me, and what also surprised me was him saying before the series that he would only play three of the five Tests,鈥 Broad said while speaking on Sky Sports.
鈥淵ou keep those cards close to your chest and play each week as it comes. They will want Bumrah at Lord鈥檚 because of the movement you can get through the air,鈥 Broad added.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri also expressed disbelief at India鈥檚 decision to rest Bumrah from the second Test against England, asserting that he shouldn鈥檛 have been given the option to sit out of an important match.
India, enduring a rough patch in Tests since October 2024, have managed just one victory in their last nine games, marking their worst run in over 10 years. Shubman Gill and his men lost the opening Test against England by five wickets in Leeds.
鈥淚f you look at the run India has had, this becomes a very, very important Test. You鈥檝e lost three against New Zealand, you鈥檝e lost three against Australia,鈥 Shastri said while speaking to Sky Sports.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e lost the first Test here, and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best pacer in the world and you make him sit out after seven days of rest, it鈥檚 something very hard to believe,鈥 Shastri added.