India vs England: Gautam Gambhir feels Jasprit Bumrah should not be picked for second Test

The Indian bowlers endured a torrid time at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. The hosts were kept on the field for 190.1 overs, as England piled on the misery on the hosts, and ended their first innings with a total of 578 runs on the board.

And needless to say, the Indian bowlers did not enjoy a great outing. And among all the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah was the stand out performer for his side with the ball. Playing his first Test on home soil, the pacer sent down 36 overs, gave away 84 runs, and picked up 3 wickets.

But then, former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir is of the opinion that Bumrah should not be in the side for the second Test. Gambhir stated that Bumrah should be preserved for the crucial pink-ball Test, which starts at Ahmedabad on February 24th, 2021. He even labelled Bumrah as the X Factor for the Indian side.

“I’m not even sure whether Bumrah should be picked for the second Test match. I think India should preserve him for the pink-ball Test match. See, Jasprit Bumrah is a X-Factor in the series, irrespective of what surfaces to play on and you’ve got to keep that in mind too,” said Gambhir in a chat with Cricinfo.

If something happens to him, India is going to be in trouble: Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir also opined that Bumrah should not bowl longer sessions and should only be given short bursts of about three overs to pick up quick wickets. He added that Bumrah is very important for India’s prospects in this series, and concluded by stating that India would be in trouble if anything happens to the pacer.

“Jasprit Bumrah – you can’t just keep bowling for longer sessions. Give him that short burst of three overs to try and pick a quick wicket, but not long spells because Bumrah is going to be very important going forward in the series. And if something happens to him, India is going to be in serious trouble,” concluded Gambhir.

Gambhir played 58 Tests and 147 ODI’s for India. While he scored 4154 runs in Test cricket, he also amassed 5238 runs in the ODI format. He was also a part of the victorious Indian side, which won both the 2007 T20 World Cup as well as 2011 50-over World Cup.