Follow UsThe buildup for the second Test between England and India has been dominated by the question of Jasprit Bumrah’s availability. The pacer and the team management had clarified before the beginning of the series that Bumrah will play only three Test matches of the five-Test series.
Former Australian left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg mentioned on his YouTube channel that extra focus on Bumrah will be detrimental to the confidence of the other pacers in the side. Notably, the other pacers in the XI were wayward in the first Test and failed to make an impression on the game, which India lost by five wickets.
“When you’ve got all the focus on that one player, all of a sudden, you’ve got to manage those other bowlers that are in your lineup as well because they start doubting themselves,” Hogg said, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
“Because if Bumrah is not there, can I do the job? The coaching staff, the selectors, do they believe in me? Or am I just here to fill the void.”
Hogg also mentioned on his channel that Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja should be India’s two spinners for the Edgbaston Test, and advocated Prasidh Krishna’s selection despite a poor show in the first Test.
“If you wanna play Kuldeep Yadav, we’ve gonna have to make a call on Jadeja,” Hogg said.
“Do we play Thakur as the seventh batsman and have four quicks? Kuldeep is more of a wicket-taking option than Jadeja is. So, that’s the decision that India has to make.
For me, I would like to go with Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and probably with Prasidh Krishna and Siraj if Bumrah is not right. If Bumrah is fine, I’d still like Krishna in there because I just think that extra height would add up to a big point of difference there in Birmingham, but I love Siraj as well.”