‘India's need more important than Jasprit Bumrah's wish to play at Lord's': Former ENG batter says star pacer must play Edgbaston Test
Butcher felt that Bumrah has had an adequate break since India's series-opening five-wicket defeat to England in Headingley last week and said the team's requirement was more important than the pacer's wish to return to play at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in the third Test, scheduled to begin next week on June 10.
'Bumrah is going to be a huge talking point as to whether or not this is one of his three Test matches. I think it has to be, it absolutely has to be. Six-day break after Headingley, 1-0 down, he plays. I know he wants to play at Lord's but the needs of the team and the series are more important than his wish to play a Test at Lord's,' Butcher said on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast.
'And who knows, he might get through this one okay and be fine for Lord's, and then you take your chances at the back-end,' Butcher added.
Bumrah was head and shoulders above his bowling peers at Leeds when he claimed a superb first-innings five-wicket haul while the rest of the pacers were slammed left and right by England batters. While he went wicketless in the last innings, Bumrah's pace partner Prasidh Krishna ended the match with woeful figures of 5/224, his 6.40 economy the worst of all pacers in history to have conceded as many runs in a match.
Butcher said that it was imperative that India consider bringing in a left-arm pace or spin option in Arshdeep Singh or Kuldeep Yadav to replace Prasidh.
'First and foremost, depending on what you've got in you squad, you try and pick bowlers that the opposition – England, with their shot-making preference – would like the least. What they would very much enjoy are mid to low eighties seam bowlers. What they would enjoy much less than that is left-arm leg spin, if you have one – and India do have one. That would be the starting point,' said Butcher.
'A left-arm swing bowler is also perhaps an option. If Arshdeep [Singh] comes in, I think Prasidh Krishna was found wanting…. If you can manage it, you go Siraj, Bumrah, Arshdeep, Kuldeep, Jadeja, and you take the cards where they fall with your batting. Simply because – I said it at the time during the first Test match – I couldn't see how Shardul was going to make enough runs to make up for his lack of potency with the ball,' he added.
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