Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar termed ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah's decision to miss the 4th against England in Ranchi as a choice that was ‘not in the immediate interest’ of the Indian team. Bumrah was not part of India's match against England in Ranchi as he was given a rest on the grounds of workload management. Gavaskar opined that Bumrah only tallied 23 overs overall in the 3rd Test in Rajkot and the workload wasn't that tiring after all.
"Despite bowling just 15 overs in the first innings and then eight overs in the second innings of the third Test at Rajkot, Bumrah was rested for Ranchi presumably on the trainer’s recommendation,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid Day.
There was enough time to rest in between matches: Gavaskar
Gavaskar also opined that the duration of off days between the 2nd and 3rd Test was ample time for players to recover from the wear and tear of a Test match. The former Indian captain also added that there was also a long gap between the 4th and the 5th match of the series.
"Don’t forget there was a nine-day break between the second Test and third Test match and then bowling 23 overs in the entire game is not tiring at all, so why was Bumrah rested? After the fourth Test there was going to be another eight-days break before the final Test match; enough time for supremely fit athletes to recover and be ready to play for the country," Gavaskar continued.
Gavaskar has a valid point
Resting Bumrah from the 4th Test could have backfired had India not won the 4th Test in Ranchi. The decision to rest the gun pacer with series on the line came as a surprise to many cricket followers. Heading into the 4th Test, India had a 2-1 lead over England which only extended to 3-1 with a victory in Ranchi.
"The fourth Test also was a crucial game as, if England had won that, the final Test would have been the decider. So, whether it was the NCA or Bumrah who took the call, it wasn’t in the Indian team’s immediate interest. That young Akash Deep bowled splendidly to offset Bumrah’s absence, once again showed that it doesn’t matter if the big names don’t play there will always be young guns who would be only too happy and as the skipper Rohit Sharma said, be hungry to play for India and to bear any hardship for the honour and privilege of playing for your country,” Gavaskar mentioned.
Bumrah to return for Dharamsala Test
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier announced that the right-arm premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah will rejoin the squad for the 5th Test in Dharamsala, scheduled to begin on March 7.
"Mr. Jasprit Bumrah who was released from the squad for the 4th Test in Ranchi, will link-up with the squad in Dharamsala for the 5th Test," the Indian cricket board had said in a release.
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