Sports News: Former South African cricketer and fast bowler Dale Steyn is not happy with Gautam Gambhir's call to rest Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah for the second test match. Bumrah was replaced by his fellow teammate Akash Deep, who was one of the three changes made by India. Steyn feels that Bumrah should've been in the playing 11, as India is already 0-1 behind. He said that India benching Bumrah is similar to Portugal benching Cristiano Ronaldo.
Steyn's Statement
Lashing out at Gambhir for resting Bumrah in Birmingham, Steyn tweeted, "“So Portugal has the best striker in the world in Ronaldo, and they chose not to play him. That's madness. That’s like India having Bumrah and choosing not to play, umm, him… wait, oh, no, what! Shit, I’m confused.” The former South African feels that Bumrah is India's most important asset and should have played the second test.
Alongside him, former Indian cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri was also not happy about India excluding Bumrah from the eleven. He feels that Bumrah should've played at Edgbaston after a good 7-day rest.
Why was Bumrah not picked?
Jasprit Bumrah was not picked for the Birmingham test. Many ex-cricketers have stated their opinion that he should've played the match. Due to his workload management, which became a topic of discussion after his comeback into the Indian team, the management decided not to play him in the second test. The right-arm fast bowler, who claimed a fifer in the first innings of the Leeds test match, has proven to be India's greatest bowling asset over the years and across all formats.
A look at India's bowling without Bumrah
Bumrah was replaced by Akash Deep for the Birmingham test. The right-arm medium-pacer has played seven test matches and has proven to be a wicket taker for India with the new ball. He will accompany the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. India has also included off-spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar and batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, which will give India plenty of bowling options.
