Bumrah has featured in 12 Test matches so far, in which he has claimed 62 wickets at an average of 19.24.
Jasprit Bumrah of India celebrates the dismissal of Kraigg Brathwaite of West Indies during day 4 of the 1st Test between West Indies and India at Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda, on August 25, 2019. (Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP)
Former Indian pacer Chetan Sharma believes skipper Virat Kohli should preserve the “best bowler in the world” Jasprit Bumrah by not playing the 25-year-old in Test matches on home soil.
Notably, Bumrah has featured in 12 Test matches so far, in which he has claimed 62 wickets at an average of 19.24., thus spearheading the Indian bowling unit.
All these 12 Tests have been played on foreign soil (3 in South Africa, 3 in England, 4 in Australia and 2 in West Indies) where wickets naturally assist pacers. But the upcoming three-match home series against South Africa, beginning October 2 in Visakhapatnam, will the test the virtue of the speedster.
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“I think he should be rested (from Tests in India). We should not waste a talent like him. There’s a reason why he’s the best bowler in the world now, we shouldn’t test him in these conditions at all,” Sharma told Hindustan Times.
“World Test Championship is going on and Bumrah is very important for India’s plans. There’s no need to prove it to the world that Bumrah can take wickets on Indian pitches. Ultimately we need to win and earn points,” Sharma added.
Moreover, Sharma believes India, currently No 1 ranked Test team, have enough bowling strength to pick up 20 wickets in Bumrah’s absence.
“Times have changed, gone are the days when we used to depend only on Kapil Dev as the lone wicket-taking fast bowler. Now we have one of the best bowling line-ups in the world. We have Bhuvneshwar (Kumar), (Mohammad) Shami, Ishant (Sharma), Navdeep (Saini) is also there, so give them chances, why put pressure only on Bumrah alone?”
“Bumrah should be called only when it’s absolutely necessary,” he said.
(With inputs from IANS)
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