IND vs ENG: AB de Villiers Criticises Jasprit Bumrah’s Rest Plan and Missing Edgbaston Test
AB de Villiers questions India's decision to rest Bumrah mid-series, calls Test cricket the ultimate format.
Former South African captain AB de Villiers has shared his views on how India is managing Jasprit Bumrah’s workload during the five-match Test series against England. He expressed surprise over the decision to rest Bumrah midway in such a big series.
India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah played the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, but is expected to miss the second Test at Edgbaston, starting from July 2.
Bumrah will reportedly feature in only three out of the five Tests in this series, which is being played in honour of James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar.
De Villiers Questions Timing of Bumrah’s Rest
Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers said:
“He is the best bowler in the world across all formats at the moment. So, it’s really challenging to figure out how to give him a rest.”
He further added that Test cricket is the highest level of the sport and this series was important enough for Bumrah to play all five matches.
“In my view, Test cricket is the highest form of the game. And I believe this Test series would have been the ideal one to prepare him for all five Test matches,” de Villiers said.
Compared to How South Africa Managed Dale Steyn
AB de Villiers compared Bumrah’s situation to Dale Steyn, South Africa’s legendary pacer. He said they used to rest Steyn during smaller series like T20s and ODIs so he could be fresh for the big Test tours.
“That’s what we used to do with Dale. We’d rest him during less crucial T20 and ODI series to ensure he’s fully prepared for the major Test series against teams like Australia, England, and India,” he said.
Was It Mismanagement?
De Villiers wondered if this was a misstep by the Indian team or if it was based on Bumrah’s recent injury recovery.
“I’m not sure if it was mismanagement or if, having just returned from injury, he saw the IPL as a sort of warm-up phase,” he explained.
“Maybe the surgeon advised him not to play all five Tests. In the end, it’s Team India’s call to manage him properly.”
