'Impossible To...,' Harsha Bhogle Questions Decision To Rest Jasprit Bumrah For 3rd Test
Jasprit Bumrah (AP Photos)
Acclaimed cricket commentator, Harsha Bhogle has criticized India’s decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the third Test match against England. The third Test of the five-match series is slated to be played at Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium from 15th to 19th February 2024.
Saurashtra stadium in Rajkot is known to produce batting-friendly pitches. Bhogle highlighted Jasprit Bumrah’s importance in the team on batting-friendly tracks and said that the Indian pacer should have rested in the fourth Test in Ranchi instead of the third.
“If India have to rest Bumrah, they must do so on a track where the other bowlers become more potent. On a good batting surface, his skills are impossible to replicate. Rajkot tends to be a good track and he will have rested for over a week. It might be a good idea to play him in Rajkot, rest him in Ranchi and have him ready for Dharamshala.” Bhogle wrote on its Twitter handle.
Bumrah has been in exceptional form since making his comeback from an injury layoff. He wreaked havoc with the ball in the second Test match in Visakhapatnam. The Indian pacer bowled a game-changing spell of 6 for 45 in 15.5 overs to bundle England out for 253 runs in their first innings.
He returned with a total of 9 wickets in the match, helping India beat England by 106 runs and level the series 1-1.
Virat Kohli might miss remainder of India vs England Test series
The Indian team played the first two Tests of the series against England without their premier batsman Virat Kohli. Ahead of the start of the series, he pulled out of the first two Tests because of personal reasons. The Board of Control for Cricket in India shared the development in a statement but didn’t mention the reason behind the same.
As per recent reports, the former Indian captain will miss the next three Test matches as well. The selectors are set to finalize the squad for the next two Tests on Thursday but a BCCI official has told Indian Express that Virat Kohli hasn’t informed anything to the board or the team management over his availability for the remaining matches of the series.
However, it is understood that he would be picked straightaway whenever he decides to make himself available.
“Virat will decide when he wants to make a comeback to the Indian side. He hasn’t informed us till now but whenever he decides to play, he will be included in the team,” the BCCI official was quoted as saying in the report.
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