Was Team India’s claim that Jasprit Bumrah will only play 3 Tests just a massive bluff?
Hold on. Just when we thought Bumrah would be rested for this one, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate stepped in with a plot twist.
When asked whether Bumrah will play in the 2nd Test, he said, "Yeah, he's available for the game. Obviously, we know from the start, he's only going to play three out of the five. He's obviously had eight days to recover from the last Test. But given conditions and workload and how we think we can best manage for the next four games, we haven't made a call on that. We're going to see what the other guys are with their workload as well. So technically, yes, he is available. But we haven't made a decision on whether he's going to play or not yet."
Bumrah was seen training with the team a day before the Test. And judging by ten Doeschate’s hints, it feels like India is playing the classic “he may or may not play” mind game. Everyone knows the kind of impact Bumrah’s presence brings, but what about his workload management?
"With Bumrah, he's ready to play. So like I said in the first very first question, it's how we manage these four Tests. So if we feel like there's value in playing him in this Test, we'll make that call at the very last minute But you know, I'm talking about weather, how the pitch is going to play, are we better off holding him back for Lord's and maybe Manchester or The Oval? So, it's all those factors, but you know you've seen him train yesterday, trained a little bit today. It's not like he's not fit to play, it's just trying to, you know, fit those puzzle pieces to get the most out of him, out of what we know we do have from him," added Tendo.
So here’s the lowdown: Bumrah is fit. Bumrah is in rhythm. But Bumrah still might not play — just because that was the original plan. Is this all part of a clever strategy? Or is India simply winging it, one Test at a time?
What do you think? Which 3 Tests will Bumrah actually play? Or is this whole ‘3 Tests only’ formula just a smokescreen?
