There’s been a lot of buzz about how the Indian cricket team plans to manage their star fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, in the upcoming Test series against England. India’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, has already made it clear that Bumrah won’t be playing every match, emphasizing that his workload will be a serious consideration for the team management.1
Brad Hogg’s Strategic Advice for Bumrah
Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has weighed in with some rather striking advice. He believes India should be very strategic with Bumrah’s usage. Speaking to RevSportz, Hogg suggested that Bumrah should actually be rested for the first Test, which kicks off on June 20, and then unleashed in the following two matches.2
“You’ve got to be very strategic with those three Test matches,” Hogg told RevSportz. He continued, “Where are you going to get the most benefit out of him? Because he can turn the game, he can turn the series on its head. So you want to make sure that you play him at Lord’s, definitely, and probably Warwickshire.”
Hogg went even further, suggesting a bit of mind games. “I probably wouldn’t even play him in the first Test match, actually. I’d just go, ‘Right, England, we don’t have Bumrah.’ And you could just see England thinking, ‘Oh, they don’t have Bumrah – that’s good, we don’t have to face him.’ But then they’re going to start worrying about him in the second Test match. And if he turns the tide in the second match, then all of a sudden England are playing catch-up. So I’d add a bit of by-play there,” Hogg explained to RevSportz.
Shubman Gill Steps Up as India’s New Test Captain
Meanwhile, a new era is beginning for India’s Test team as Shubman Gill is set to lead them in the five-Test series against England, starting June 20.3 Gill revealed that there are “no expectations” from head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.4 They simply want him to express himself as a leader and not feel pressured to do anything outside his comfort zone.
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket, Gill was appointed as India’s 37th Test captain.5 He has previously played for India as both an opener and a No. 3 batter in Tests. This first assignment as skipper will mark the start of India’s new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. The right-handed opening batter will have wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant by his side as his deputy.
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