Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar reckons that India should not only rest Jasprit Bumrah in the game against Oman but also against Pakistan on September 21. The pacer has featured in both the games that India have played so far in the Asia Cup and has managed to pick up 3 wickets. Gavaskar opined that Bumrah should be rested in order to ensure that he is available for the final scheduled to take place on September 29.
‘Bumrah should be rested against Pakistan’
In an interaction on Sony Sports Network, Gavaskar advocated for the need to rest Bumrah even in the Super 4 game against Pakistan. He said that India should see the larger picture – the Asia Cup final – and give the speedster some rest. India have plenty of back-up pace options in the form of their best T20I bowler Arshdeep Singh apart from Harshit Rana as well.
“I believe Bumrah should be rested, perhaps even for the Pakistan game, so he’s available for the bigger match on Sunday, the 28th. That’s what India should be looking at. Of course, there will still need to be one bench player included, but Bumrah should be left out for tomorrow’s game to give him rest,” Gavaskar said.
After featuring only in three Tests in England as part of workload management, the speedster has already played two games in the Asia Cup. While he was a must-need in the game against Pakistan, his selection in the playing XI for the game against UAE was baffling. The Asia Cup marks Bumrah’s return to T20Is for the first time since the T20 World Cup final in 2024.
On the other hand, Arshdeep has remained stranded on 99 wickets in T20Is. Despite being India’s best bowler in the shortest format of the game, the southpaw was benched for both the games against UAE and Pakistan. The game against Oman on Friday and against Pakistan on Sunday could be the perfect situation for the southpaw to achieve a unique milestone.
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