With the Border-Gavaskar series looming on the horizon, saving the best of the best becomes a pressing issue: one that Gautam Gambhir is facing currently concerning ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who may be rested ahead of the second Test against New Zealand.
With the Australia tour less than a month away, it becomes imperative for India to come to a conclusion on whether or not Bumrah, who has played all three home Tests this season so far, shall be rested.
“Once the series is over, we still have around 10 or 12 days before the (first) Test starts in Australia. That is enough break for our fast bowlers as well. But we will still monitor after this Test match where Jasprit Bumrah is,” Gambhir stated.
“But it’s not only about Jasprit Bumrah. It’s about with all the fast bowlers as well. We want to keep them fresh. We know that obviously we’ve got a long tour and an important tour of Australia.
“Workload management will definitely depend on what the outcome of this Test match is and how much have they bowled in this match,” he added.
The strike bowler will be the one spearheading the Indian bowling attack down under against the mighty Aussies.
It has also been reported by The Indian Express that the selection committee is looking for a fast-bowling all-rounder for the Australia series with the likes of Nitish Reddy and Shardul Thakur as front-runners for the spot in the Indian squad.
The report suggests that both Reddy and Thakur will compete for a single spot, and it will be interesting to see which side the selectors choose as their fast-bowling all-rounder solution for the Indian squad.
But currently, India will be aiming to fight their way back out of the 1-0 hole they dug themselves into in their ongoing three-match home series against New Zealand.
India were skittled for a mere 46 runs after opting to bat first at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In reply, New Zealand racked up 462 with Rachin Ravindra scoring a memorable century.
India produced a vastly improved show in their second dig but it wasn’t enough as New Zealand recorded their first Test win on Indian soil since 1988.
The second Test starts from Thursday in Pune.
(with agency inputs)
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