4 days ago
Bumrah must play the last two Test matches, says Engineer
Farokh Engineer may have been living in England for more than 50 years, but the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman remains a proud Indian.
Engineer, whose peak in the 1960s and 1970s coincided with the glory days of the iconic Indian spin quartet — Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan — is also incredibly proud to see the phenomenal rise of Jasprit Bumrah.
The Indian pace spearhead's scorching displays of pace, swing and relentless accuracy have even earned him comparisons to Malcolm Marshall, the fabled West Indian widely hailed as the greatest fast bowler of all time.
While Engineer's heart swells with pride when Bumrah is showered with such accolades, what baffles him is the Indian think tank's decision to play the 31-year-old only in three matches of the ongoing five-Test series against Ben Stokes' team in England.
Bumrah, Engineer believes, will be needed in the fourth Test (July 23-27) at Old Trafford, Manchester, where India will aim to bounce back from the heartbreaking defeat in the third Test match at Lord's.
'Now we are 2-1 down, and it's a must-win game for us. So he has to play at Old Trafford,' the 87-year-old Engineer told the Khaleej Times over the phone from Manchester.
Many still believe that the result of the India-Australia Test series earlier this year would have been different had Bumrah not suffered a back injury in the middle of the fifth Test.
Since then, the Indian management has been very careful about managing Bumrah's workload.
But Engineer offers a solution.
'Of course, he has to be handled carefully, they have to wrap him in cotton wool, so just bowl him for three-four overs at a time, when needed, to break a partnership and certainly at the start, he is the jewel in the side,' said Engineer of Bumrah, who has taken 12 wickets in two Tests against England this summer.
'Look, there are quite a few days of rest between the third and fourth Tests. Even Jofra Archer — who made a Test comeback after four years — said he wants to play the remaining Test matches. So I don't know why India came with the pre-conceived idea to play Bumrah only three Tests.'
Engineer, who scored a stunning Test hundred against fearsome West Indies fast bowlers Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith in 1967, then opened up about what makes Bumrah such a special bowler.
'His action is such that the batsman thinks the ball is going to come in, but the odd one hits the seam and just goes out, and that's the most difficult ball to face, it's almost an unplayable ball,' he said.
'It's the ball that swings in, hits the seam, and then it becomes a leg cutter. So, which batsman can play that? Even the best batters would be troubled by that. No other bowler can do that, and that's why it's so important that he plays at Old Trafford.
'In fact, India need him not just at Old Trafford, but also at The Oval for the final Test.'
For India to take the series to the decider with a victory in the fourth Test, the team management must also show confidence in Kuldeep Yadav.
'If Kuldeep had played any of the three Test matches, he would have made a huge difference. And the results might have been different because he can turn the ball on any surface, he is a wrist spinner,' Engineer said.
'Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are fine bowlers, but in Test cricket you need a genuine wrist spinner which we are fortunate to have and I don't know why we nor not playing him.'
While some of the tactical decisions from the Indian team may have disappointed Engineer, he is hugely impressed by the fierce competition in the series and the great sportsmanship spirit displayed by both teams.
'The two teams fought so hard in the third Test, there were occasions when tempers flared, but it was wonderful to see Stokes hugging Ravindra Jadeja at the end of the match. That's exactly what happened in the 2005 Ashes when Andrew Flintoff went up to the crestfallen Brett Lee to console him after England beat Australia in that dramatic Test (at Edgbaston),' he said.
'I mean this is what Test cricket is all about, the beauty of Test cricket — you fight hard, you play for your country, so you give your 100 per cent, but at the end of the day, you accept the result in a sporting manner, and that is exactly what this series has also shown.
'It's been a great advert for Test cricket at a time when a lot of countries, including India unfortunately, are leaning towards T20. Of course, the IPL is such a huge success, but Test cricket is Test cricket. It's the ultimate challenge.'
