Should We Honor Bumrah's Decision to Play Just Three Matches?

London, Aug 1 (NationPress) India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate emphasized that the management decided it was essential to respect Bumrah's desire to participate in only three matches of the five-match series against England, indicating that the future of the No.1 ranked Test bowler holds greater significance than a single Test match.

Bumrah fulfilled his planned workload by participating in just three Tests during the recent series in Manchester, with the team opting not to risk the star pacer for the fifth and final Test in London.

"It's a rather intricate situation concerning Bumrah. We certainly wish to integrate him back, but we must also honor his physical condition. Based on that, we believed it was best not to include him in the squad," ten Doeschate conveyed to reporters following Day 1's play.

He has bowled an extensive number of overs; it may not seem that way as he has only played three Tests and bowled in one innings in Manchester. However, analyzing the loads reveals he has bowled a significant amount, and as he mentioned before the tour, he planned to be available for three games, so we felt it was appropriate to honor that request,” he added.

Ten Doeschate remarked that there isn’t a precise method to determine which matches the fast bowler would miss during the five-match series.

"Every time I address this question, I refer to it as putting the puzzle pieces together. People were puzzled when we didn’t play him in the third Test. Our reasoning was that The Oval, while it has bounce, is typically a good batting wicket, and we decided to take a chance, assuming we would bowl if we won the toss.

“In hindsight, you’d wish he was here, but if we came here 3-1 down, then we might question our decision not to have played him. It’s about not making guesses but rather looking ahead and determining how we can manage him. Perhaps England has strategically placed the best bowling wicket for the last Test after he has already played three,” the assistant coach explained.

He also noted that it’s unjust to claim that Bumrah is selectively choosing games, given his history of injuries and back surgeries.

"I don’t think it’s fair to say Bumrah is picking and choosing; he indicated he would play three games, leaving it to us to decide which three he would play. We’ve attempted to manage the situation—though it’s not ideal, it’s crucial to give attention to those who aren’t playing, especially when carrying 18 players,” he stated.

"It’s essential they know all decisions are made in good faith, considering the best interest of the team. All the players who haven’t participated have been excellent; they’ve trained exceptionally hard and are understandably disappointed when left out," he concluded.