A Bumrah surprise? AB de Villiers offers optimistic take on ENG vs IND Test series

India Today

7 hours ago

Legendary South African batter AB de Villiers has said it's unfortunate that India are grappling with workload concerns surrounding Jasprit Bumrah, adding that it's far from ideal for the Asian giants to be without their pace spearhead for the full duration of the five-Test series in England.De Villiers cited the example of how South Africa used to manage the workload of Dale Steyn ahead of marquee series, suggesting India may have missed a trick in doing the same with Bumrah.advertisementAhead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, selectors, the team management, and Bumrah himself confirmed that the world's top pacer would only play three of the five Test matches in England. Despite his inclusion in the series opener in Leeds, India suffered a five-wicket defeat. Bumrah picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings after India posted a commanding total of 471, but his solo effort-lacking support from the rest of the bowling unit-wasn't enough. England chased down 371 in the fourth innings to take a 1-0 lead.
Despite the defeat, India head coach Gautam Gambhir reiterated that the team's plan regarding Bumrah remains unchanged: he will feature in only two more Tests in the series.On India's first training day in Birmingham-venue for the second Test starting July 2, Bumrah did not bowl. However, hopes of his inclusion were revived when he bowled at full tilt in the nets on Saturday.advertisementSpeaking on his YouTube show, de Villiers cheekily suggested that India might spring a surprise by playing Bumrah in all five Tests."It is unfortunate that, with an inexperienced bowling attack, he's not going to play all the Test matches-or at least that's what the media and press seem to be saying. Maybe it's all part of a surprise. They're saying 'we are thinking of resting Bumrah', but then he ends up playing all five Tests. India are 1-0 down-hopefully that will be the surprise. But perhaps this is also an opportunity for someone like Arshdeep Singh or Kuldeep Yadav to step up," said de Villiers.Realistically, it remains unlikely that Bumrah will play more than three Tests, given how clear he has been about his fitness and workload management. At the start of the series, he confirmed having consulted doctors and trainers about how much his body could handle in the rigours of Test cricket.The World No. 1 pacer also revealed he had turned down an offer to captain the Test side after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired, prioritising his physical well-being and his long-term availability for India.Still, de Villiers maintained that India should have planned better to ensure Bumrah was fully available for such a high-stakes series.advertisement"He's probably the best bowler in the world across all formats right now. So, it's incredibly difficult to find the right time to rest him," said de Villiers. "But this Test series-this would've been the one, in my opinion, to get him ready for all five matches. That's how we used to manage Dale (Steyn). We'd rest him for less important T20 and ODI series and make sure he was peaking for major Test tours against Australia, England, India, and sometimes New Zealand, depending on rankings at the time.""I don't know if it was mismanagement, or maybe because he recently returned from injury. Perhaps they saw the IPL as a warm-up phase. It could also be that his surgeon advised against playing five Tests in a row. You have to respect that. But ultimately, it's up to Team India to manage him wisely," he added.Bumrah had committed to playing the full five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the 2024-25 season, but his long-standing back injury resurfaced midway through the fifth Test, forcing him out of action. He went on to miss the Champions Trophy, which India won in his absence.Should Bumrah sit out the second Test in Birmingham, India will be forced to turn to their inexperienced bench, with options like Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh waiting in the wings.- EndsTrending Reel