Shastri Urges India to Reconsider Bumrah Rest Strategy After Headingley Defeat

Following India's recent defeat at Headingley, former India head coach Ravi Shastri is advising the team to rethink their strategy of resting Jasprit Bumrah during the ongoing Test series against England. The defeat, where Bumrah managed to take five wickets, has raised concerns about the strength of India's bowling attack.

Jasprit Bumrah leads India's bowling attack with Shubman Gill as captain.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir had previously indicated that Bumrah would only participate in three of the five Tests to manage his workload. However, Shastri believes that limiting Bumrah’s appearances could be a risky move, especially if India falls further behind in the series.

Bumrah’s performance in the Headingley Test included match figures of 5-140 across 43.4 overs, with all wickets taken in the first innings.

"If he was looking at a rest, you may have to think twice," Shastri commented on Sky Sports. "If you don't have him and then go 2-0 down, it could be an uphill task."

The performance of the other Indian seamers—Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna—has added to the urgency of the situation. Together, they recorded figures of 9-482 in 92 overs. This underwhelming display could significantly influence the decision regarding Bumrah’s participation in the second Test at Edgbaston, commencing on July 2.

Shastri emphasized the importance of learning from the loss: "This will be a tough pill for India to swallow. You don't get in positions like this very often and blow it from there. They had a chance to take England out of the contest and dictate terms."

He also pointed out the need for resilience among the lower-order batsmen: "They have to learn, and they need more bottle from the tail, for them to be stubborn and put a price tag on their wicket. There is a big role for the coaching staff to take the positives. As a captain, Gill has done more than can be asked of him. He got a hundred in his first Test in charge, and the dropped catches (and collapses) are not in his control."

Former England captain Nasser Hussain also shared his observations on Gill's captaincy and India's overall showing.

"I saw someone finding his way. He didn't quite have that on-field aura of Rohit and (Virat Kohli). I thought he followed the ball a lot and was reactive rather than proactive. When Rohit and Kohli captained, you looked down, and you immediately knew who was in charge, but when I looked down in this game, I saw two or three captains, captaincy by committee," Hussain noted.

Hussain highlighted key areas of concern: "But India lost from two things Gill couldn't control - drops and collapses. The collapses concern me. In India, they have had spin-bowling all-rounders that are magnificent - Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel - but in England, they are still looking for a seam-bowling all-rounder who can bat. If they keep going 6-31 and 7-41, this could be a quick series."