Picking Bumrah, Pant was a masterstroke at Trent Bridge: Dilip Vengsarkar

It took India just one Test to turn the tables. As Virat Kohli’s men thrashed England by 203 runs at Trent Bridge to make the series 2-1, positive reactions started pouring in and the Indian team management suddenly saw it being eulogised over picking the playing XI. It hasn’t happened often in the Kohli era that India have received praises over their team selection.

Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar felt the selection of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant for the third Test was a masterstroke which eventually helped India to keep the series alive. The teams now move to Southampton for the fourth Test. A win there for the visiting side will see the five-match series going down to the Oval for the decider.

“At Lords, they were disheartened. In the third Test match, Virat did extremely well not just as a batsman but also as captain. I would say Bumrah and Rishab Pant’s inclusion was a masterstroke,” Vengsarkar, 62, told India Today.

India struggled with their team selection, particularly in the second Test at Lord’s which they lost by an innings and 159 runs. They picked two spinners for the game in Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin but the decision boomeranged and the team management faced heavy criticism.

Bumrah came in for Kuldeep & Pant for Karthik

At Trent Bridge, India included Bumrah, who was out for some time with an injury, in place of Yadav and also Pant who replaced an out-of-form and injured Dinesh Karthik. Both players did well in the game. While Bumrah picked seven wickets in the game, including a fifer in the second innings, Pant’s 24 in the first innings gave India’s lower order a stability of sorts. He also took five catches in England’s first innings and overall seven in the match.

“For someone playing his first ever Test in England, Bumrah bowled extremely well. He has pace and his peculiar action where he seems to slant the ball in and it straightens and goes outside is very important,” the Colonel said. The management did not go back to an underperforming Umesh Yadav in place of Kuldeep which was a smart move.

The former chief selector was also pleased with 20-year-old Pant’s performance. “He kept well and got a lot of catches also. The good thing about his batting was he played without any baggage. He brought energy to the team. He has started off extremely well,” Vengsarkar said.

Team India is in the hunt for a Test series win in England after 11 years. The last time they did so was in 2007 when Rahul Dravid was the captain. However, if they can win this series after trailing 0-2, it will be perhaps the biggest win their 86-year-old Test history.

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