ENG vs IND 2025: 'It's like Portugal not playing Ronaldo' - Dale Steyn slams India for resting Bumrah at Edgbaston
At stumps on Day 1, India reached 310 for 5.
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Former South African pacer Dale Steyn slammed the Indian team management, including captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir, for not including Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI for the second Test against England in Birmingham.
Bumrah, who was replaced by Akash Deep, had delivered a stellar performance in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, claiming a five-wicket haul in the first innings. India made three changes to their lineup and rested Bumrah despite trailing 0-1 in the series.
Steyn compared the move to Portugal benching Cristiano Ronaldo, questioning the logic of resting a match-winner when the team is already under pressure.
“So Portugal have the best striker in the world in Ronaldo and they chose not to play him. That's madness. That’s like India having Bumrah and choosing not to play, umm, him… wait, oh, no, what! shit I’m confused,” Steyn said in X.
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Prior to the series, India had announced that Bumrah would feature in only three of the five Test matches as part of a workload management plan. The decision, made on the strict advice of the BCCI medical team, was confirmed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar during the squad announcement in May.
Despite several experts urging the team management to include the 31-year-old pacer for the second Test, Gill and Gambhir opted to rest him. They confirmed that Bumrah would sit out the Edgbaston Test, sticking to the predetermined policy.
“Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break and this is an important match for us. But the third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch so we'll use him there,” Gill said at the toss.
Speaking of the match, India ended Day 1 on a strong note, finishing at 310 for 5. Gill led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 114, his second consecutive century in the series. The opener Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a solid start with a fluent 87, while Ravindra Jadeja remained not out on 41 alongside Gill at stumps.
For England, local star Chris Woakes was the pick of the bowlers while returning with figures of 2 for 59 from his 21 overs.
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