Win Projections to be updated soon
There are discussions about resting Jasprit Bumrah for the third Test against England. He has bowled a lot of overs in the first two Tests, and managing his workload is a top priority at the moment. With his history of a serious back injury and a year-long absence from the game, the selectors and management are cautious about risking a similar injury to their top pacer.
Bumrah’s stellar performance in the Vizag Test, where he took 9 wickets and was named the Player of the Match in India‘s 106-run win, has raised questions about resting him. Harsha Bhogle, a part of the commentary panel for the series, opposes the idea of not playing Bumrah in the upcoming game, citing Rajkot as a batting-friendly pitch where Bumrah’s skills are crucial to make a difference.
“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.
Bhogle also defended KS Bharat, who has faced criticism for his batting performance but has shown excellent wicket-keeping skills. He emphasized that judging a wicket-keeper’s performance solely on batting is unfair, as their contribution with catches can be significant.
“I worry when reports on this series casually mention that KS Bharat hasn’t done well enough. Yes, he hasn’t delivered the runs with the bat, but his keeping has been top class. While a keeper must deliver with two skills, we tend to measure his performance almost entirely by one metric, which is unfair. An excellent catch could contribute 30+ runs,” Bhogle added.
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