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If two words have been extensively used over the last week, that’s been that.
India’s decision to leave out Jasprit Bumrah has been quite puzzling, thus far. There was at least a 10-day gap between the first and second Test, here at Edgbaston in Birmingham, yet they are without Bumrah.
It irked former Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri, who didn’t mince a word, criticising the management for deeming the second Test as ‘not that important’.
“This is a very important match, they’ve had a week off. I’m little surprised Bumrah is not playing this game. It should be taken out of the player’s hand,” Shastri said on Sky Sports after the toss.
Why has Bumrah’s non-playing become a major topic of discussion?
Various reports had already ruled Bumrah out of the contest. But just two days before the big contest, Bumrah was involved in the optional training session, where he bowled a long spell, for nearly an hour.
Despite that, why did India decide to leave him out of the second Test?
“No Bumrah. Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break, and this is an important match for us. But the third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch, so we'll use him there,” Indian skipper Shubman Gill said at the toss.
It didn’t sit down well with Shastri, as he absolutely slammed the Indian selectors, stating that “This is an important game in the context of the series, he should be playing this game more than anything else. Lord’s can come later.”
But India’s biggest worry is do they have a bowling unit that can take 20 wickets? As they have selected, India’s pace bowling unit for the Test looks like: Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep.
Among the three, Siraj has the most Test experience, having played 37 games, of which eight have come in England. But in his most recent Test here in England, Siraj was far from his best, as he picked up figures of 2/122 and 0/51 across the two innings. It isn’t just one Test either, unfortunately for India.
The right-arm pacer has picked up six wickets across his last five Test innings, averaging 31.15 in the Australia Test series, with a strike rate of 47.1. Trusting him as the leader of the pace attack, especially when Bumrah is fit, and India are trailing 0-1, is worth every bit of criticism.
To add to the misery, India’s other two pacer options for this Test are Prasidh and Akash, one of whom had the worst-ever record possible, conceding runs at 6 RPO across both innings. Across four Tests, Prasidh’s average at the Test level has been 35.15, and he has an economy rate of 5.07.
Akash Deep, who has been positioned as India’s third pacer, with the right-arm seamer not too experienced at Test-level either, with 15 wickets, and only picked up five wickets in his last two Tests in Australia - at Brisbane and Melbourne.
That’s where India’s biggest problem stands: Do they have the bowling unit to pick up 20 wickets? Nitish Kumar Reddy has rarely made any impact in Test cricket, with five wickets, having bowled 44 overs, averaging 38.00 with the ball, which is why India not picking Kuldeep Yadav is outrageous.
The left-arm wrist spinner has picked up 56 Test wickets and has been averaging just 22.16 with the ball. Not just that, his outrageous record against England, too, has been ignored, with Kuldeep picking 21 wickets against the opponents, double of what he’s picked against any opposition.
“Our first priority would always be on these kinds of wickets, how we can get 20 wickets rather than playing that extra batter,” Gill said at the toss during the first Test.
Where’s that gone, now? Have India’s selection put them in the best position to pick up 20 wickets? India are risking going down 2-0 in the series, and a comeback from there will be too tall a mountain to climb.