Ex-Australia Batter Slams India For Leaving Out Star For 2nd England Test. It's Not Jasprit Bumrah
If Bumrah was fit to play then surely you need to pick the best bowler in the world? At the very least Kuldeep has the be in the XI if you're worried about taking 20 wickets. Yes, he might be more expensive but he's the next best attacking option!
— Aaron Finch (@AaronFinch5) July 2, 2025
India captain Shubman Gill revealed at the toss that Bumrah's exclusion was a workload management decision, with the management opting to preserve him for the Lord's Test, where they feel the conditions will suit him better. Akash Deep was brought in as Bumrah's replacement to make his Test debut.
India made two other changes, with Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy coming in for B Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur, thereby adding depth to the batting line-up but arguably weakening the bowling unit.
The decision, however, has raised eyebrows beyond Finch.
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad expressed surprise at seeing India take the field without their most potent weapon, especially after Bumrah's fine display in Leeds.
"A week is a very good time off for a fast bowler. (Bumrah's omission) does surprise me and what also surprised me was him saying before the series he will only play three of the five Tests. You keep those cards close to your chest and play each week as it comes. They will definitely want Bumrah at Lord's because of the movement you can get through the air, so can they risk him here?" he said.
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The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
Charting Shubman Gill ascent india vs england birmingham double century records edgbaston
In his first 13 Tests outside Asia, Shubman Gill had only two half-centuries and a highest of 91, which came in Brisbane on his maiden tour in 2020-21. That record was in direct contrast to the numbers he stacked up in India and Bangladesh, where 19 matches yielded five centuries. Having waited more than four years for his maiden non-subcontinental century, India's newest Test captain has doubled that tally in 13 days in England. A flowing 147 on his first day as skipper, at Headingley in Leeds, was followed by a brilliant encore at Edgbaston as he registered his highest Test score, an effort notable for the ease with which he handled a potentially tricky situation and the complete control that manifested itself both in solid defence and sparkling stroke-making. Gill might not have been the obvious favourite to succeed Rohit Sharma when the latter retired from Test cricket at the beginning of May, even though he was the Mumbaikar's deputy at the Champions Trophy in Dubai in February-March and had led the T20 International side on their 4-1 conquest of Zimbabwe last July. In normal course, it is more than likely that that responsibility would have fallen on Jasprit Bumrah's careworn but sturdy shoulders, but there isn't much about Bumrah that is normal, is there? By the time Rohit called time on his Test career, Bumrah had led India thrice – once in Birmingham in 2022 in a Test held over from 12 months previously when the designated captain was down with Covid-19, and twice in Australia over the winter. In the Perth Test, the first of the series which Rohit missed as he was back in Mumbai awaiting the birth of his second child, Bumrah led from the front, orchestrating an unexpected and commanding victory against all odds. Several weeks later, in Sydney in the fifth and final match, Rohit stood down owing to poor form, while Bumrah broke down and couldn't bowl in the fourth innings on a spicy surface where his presence might have helped secure a 2-2 stalemate. ALSO READ | Of Munir Ali and shaping cricketing lives Bumrah's back has been the source of much concern and conversation in the cricket world – if not perhaps to the same extent as Sachin Tendulkar's elbow or back, then very, very close to it – and more than anything else, that offending part of the body prevented his elevation as full-time Test captain. Bumrah has undergone surgery on his back in the past and the Sydney mishap was identified as a stress reaction which kept him out of commission for three months. India knew they had to manage Bumrah carefully, look after him so that he doesn't bowl himself out of contention, and follow medical advice from experts who knew how much load he could take, and at what intervals. The necessity to preserve the national cricketing treasure dictated that there was no way Bumrah could be the Test skipper. After all, how can you make someone the captain when you know for sure that he won't be able to play every match? Injuries are a part of every professional sportsperson's journey but Bumrah's case being different, he had to abandon whatever captaincy aspirations he might have entertained. Likewise, the decision-makers were compelled to shell any designs to make him the skipper. For some reason, those strolling the corridors of power chose to overlook the credentials of KL Rahul, still only 33 and with more than a dozen years of international experience behind him. While it might appear uncharitable to Gill, it was under these circumstances that the captaincy was conferred on him. Gill hadn't had a great taste of captaincy at the first-class level, only five games, but clearly, the men who mattered were impressed with his reading of the game, and with his tactical and man-management skills during his two years helming Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Gill is soft-spoken but that must not be confused with being pliant or malleable. Right from his junior days, his inner steel has been all too obvious. When India won the 2018 Under-19 World Cup under Prithvi Shaw, Gill was the team's leading scorer (and the second highest in the competition) with 372 from five innings at an average of 124 and a strike-rate of 112.38. The flamboyant Shaw made the early charge to the senior team, earning a Test debut that same October and marking it with a century on debut in Rajkot against West Indies, but his fall from grace was as meteoric as his rise had been. ALSO READ | Where is the sword-swishing, humming Jadeja? Gill took a little longer to convince the team management that he too deserved his spot in the Test XI. Ironically and interestingly enough, he made his debut at the expense of Shaw, who played himself out of the reckoning with a string of poor scores, an injury and his off-field excesses that didn't endear him to even a management group willing to give him a long rope. Looking the part Right from his first day in Test cricket, Gill looked the part. Only 21 when he donned the India whites in the Boxing Day showpiece event in 2020, he wowed the connoisseurs with a flowing 45 in the first innings and a timely unbeaten 35 in the second when India were chasing 70 for a series-levelling victory after their 36 all out implosion in Adelaide in the pink-ball Test. Gill's game was ideally suited to the hard, bouncy Australian tracks, where movement wasn't anywhere near as pronounced as bounce. His propensity to stay legside of the ball meant he could access the offside with ease, riding the bounce comfortably and using his now-patented short-arm jabs to grand effect as he peppered the square fence. His backfoot mastery also manifested itself in pulls through mid-wicket against the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, singling him out as a batter who had more time than most to play the quickest of bowlers. A fairytale initiation culminated in a subliminal 91, the highest score of the innings during their historic chase of 328 at the Gabba which gave them a magnificent 2-1 triumph in a series where proven performers dropped off like autumn leaves with each progressive Test. Australia's accomplished bowling attack made no impression on him when, with a deserved maiden century beckoning, Gill edged an attempted drive off off-spinner Nathan Lyon to Steve Smith at slip. His knock was overshadowed by the exuberance of Rishabh Pant – now his deputy – who hauled his team home with an epochal unbeaten 89. At the time, few would have predicted this prolonged wait for a first Test ton that did not come in India or Bangladesh. It was frustrating, it was inexplicable. Gill seemed to have all the tools needed to succeed everywhere in the world, not least a strong and versatile backfoot game, so there seemed no discernible reason why, after that tour of Australia, he would have a highest of only 36 in 18 innings away from the subcontinent. One wondered, when he was made the captain in May, if that was the best course of action, given how pronounced his own batting travails were. Gill set about correcting the anomaly in Leeds, batting at an unfamiliar position on the first day of the series. Occupying the No. 4 position that for nearly three decades had been manned unchallenged by Tendulkar and then Virat Kohli, Gill uncorked a magical 147 full of gorgeous strokes. There was a platform, 92 for two, sure, but there still was plenty of work to be done on a batting beauty. Gill's comrades in arms during successive stands of 129 and 195 were Yashasvi Jaiswal and Pant. All three made hundreds in India's 471, but 835 runs in the match weren't enough to prevent a crushing five-wicket loss in a harsh initiation to the responsibilities of Test captaincy. ALSO READ | Make the World Test Championship more inclusive Before Edgbaston, Gill had to make several tough calls. Sure, head coach Gautam Gambhir would have had a massive say in the personnel India put out, but in cricket, the buck generally stops with the captain. Bumrah being rested was almost inevitable, given how limited the turnaround time is between Birmingham and Lord's, but the continued benching of Kuldeep Yadav, Gill must have known, would be a heated talking point, especially in Bumrah's absence. The axing of Sai Sudharsan after one Test to infuse an additional 'all-round' option too would come under the microscope. But if Gill was affected by any or all of this blowing up in his face, there simply was no evidence of that. The track at Edgbaston was as batter-friendly as the one at Headingley, but India's batting effort on being put in, again, wasn't as convincing. Rahul went early, Karun Nair fell at the stroke of lunch, Jaiswal threw his hand away after a polished 87, and Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy fell in contrasting fashions, the former attempting an extravagant stroke and the latter offering none. At 211 for five, India were in danger of falling well below par but Gill had faith in Ravindra Jadeja's batting skills and the veteran campaigner didn't disappoint. No false stroke What was notable about Gill's seventh hundred was his complete mastery over the situation and the bowling. He hardly played a false stroke and his control percentage at lunch on day two, by which time he had negotiated 288 deliveries, was a staggering 93. He showed urgency in getting to his hundred before the new ball was commissioned with swept boundaries off the last two balls of the 80th over, but there was neither desperation nor unseemly hurry in his method. The unusual, unfettered roar when the second of those sweeps surged past the long-leg boundary reiterated how much this latest edifice meant to him. Gill has already set a stall as a leader by example. He will become a better captain with a little more time – fortunately, because of the transitory phase, he has a luxury that several of his predecessors didn't enjoy. A new chapter awaits Indian cricket, with a young captain full of beans, ambition and backing at the helm. How exciting.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Akash Deep makes India forget Jasprit Bumrah, sends Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope packing for a duck in two balls
India head coach Gautam Gambhir was shown no mercy on Wednesday after captain Shubman Gill confirmed at the toss that Jasprit Bumrah would be rested for the second Test match against England in Birmingham. The strategy was ridiculed by experts and fans on social media, especially after what was witnessed in Leeds in the series opener, where India lost by five wickets. But Akash Deep, the man who replaced Bumrah in the playing XI, stepped up like a storm to fill the void in style as he rattled England with his fiery new-ball burst. India's Akash Deep celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Ben Duckett(Action Images via Reuters) A lacklustre show from fellow quicks at Headingley in the first Test match saw experts concerned and urging the team management not to rest Bumrah, who stood out in the match with his five-wicket haul, which was highly speculated, with India having already decided that the 31-year-old would play just three Test matches on the tour to manage his workload. But Gambhir and Gill did not pay heed to the requests as Akash was picked in place of Bumrah, to keep the latter fresh for the third Test at the Lord's, which will begin next week. But a day after the much-criticised move, the Bengal fast bowler silenced the criticism with a fiery new-ball burst during the final session on day 2 of the second Test. In the third over of the innings, Akash dismissed Ben Duckett for a five-ball duck. The left-handed batter looked to punch the length ball outside off through the covers, but ended up getting a thick outside edge, with Shubman Gill, producing another moment of magic, grabbing it effortlessly at slip. On the next ball, the fast bowler got rid of Ollie Pope, who had scored a century in Leeds, for a golden duck as KL Rahul picked up the catch at second slip. There was more trouble for England as Mohammed Siraj joined the party to dismiss Zak Crawley in the eighth over. Against the shorter delivery outside the off stump, which shaped away a tad bit, Crawley looked to punch it away from the body, but got a thick outside edge and Karun Nair made no mistake at first slip. On a batting paradise, where England were expected to match India's first innings total of 587, the home team were handed a shocker as they went three down for just 25 runs in the first 43 deliveries. Earlier in the day, India captain Gill added to his overnight score of a century to notch up a record 269, the best ever score by a visiting Asian captain in England. It was also his career-best score in first-class cricket.
India.com
11 hours ago
- India.com
Yuvraj Singh Calls Shubman Gill Unstoppable After Historic Double Century in 2nd Test vs England
In a breathtaking display of composure, class, and calculated aggression, Shubman Gill etched his name in the history books with a monumental 265 not out against England in the second Test at Edgbaston. This wasn't just another Test innings—it was a statement of intent from India's new captain, a masterclass delivered under pressure and on foreign soil. Gill, who resumed Day 2 on 114*, anchored the Indian innings with patience and poise, becoming the first Asian captain to score a double century in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia). He also broke the legendary Sunil Gavaskar's record (221 at The Oval in 1979) for the highest individual Test score by an Indian in England, making this knock one of the most significant by a visiting batter in recent times. Take a bow @ShubmanGill! Making it look so easy on the big stage! Well played and well deserved double century an example of being unstoppable when the intent is clear #IndVSEng — Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) July 3, 2025 Yuvraj Singh Applauds 'Unstoppable' Gill The cricketing fraternity showered praise on Gill, none more so than Yuvraj Singh, who mentored the young prodigy during the Covid-19 lockdown. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Yuvraj wrote: 'Take a bow @ShubmanGill! Making it look so easy on the big stage! Well played and well deserved double century – an example of being unstoppable when the intent is clear.' Yuvraj's heartfelt message not only acknowledged Gill's skill but highlighted the steely resolve and clarity of purpose that have come to define the 25-year-old opener's game in recent years. Support from Legends: Tendulkar and Ashwin Chime In Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar also took notice of the young skipper's brilliance, tweeting: 'Very pleased to see the intent and commitment shown by @ShubmanGill and @imjadeja today. Well played!' Meanwhile, recently retired veteran Ravichandran Ashwin offered high praise for Gill's early days as captain: 'A double for Gill. Fabulous start to his leadership stint. This would do him a world of good moving forward. It's time for India to bat all day now.' Such endorsements from India's greatest voices underscore the wider significance of this innings—not just in terms of runs, but leadership maturity and strategic acumen. Partnerships That Powered India to 564/7 Gill's innings was far from a solo act. He shared a 203-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja (89) that stabilized the innings and pushed England firmly on the back foot. Following Jadeja's dismissal to Josh Tongue, Washington Sundar (42*) joined hands with Gill to forge another solid 144-run partnership for the seventh wicket. By Tea on Day 2, India had amassed 564/7, with Gill standing tall on an unbeaten 265, showcasing not just his technical brilliance but also his ability to pace an innings perfectly across sessions. Punjab Cricket Association Pays Tribute to Their 'Prince' The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) marked the occasion by sharing a nostalgic clip of Gill's first TV interview at age 15, when he had scored a mammoth 351 in an inter-district match. Their tribute read: 'You didn't just lead—you ruled. From the heart of Punjab to the soul of Indian cricket… The prince isn't rising anymore—he has arrived.' Their words reflected the overwhelming pride of a state that has watched Gill evolve from a schoolboy prodigy into a captain capable of leading India with fire and finesse. Why Gill's Knock Will Be Remembered for Decades This double century wasn't just about records. It was about timing—both in shot selection and in career trajectory. On a pitch offering variable bounce, against a disciplined English attack, Gill's innings was a blueprint of how to build a marathon knock in Test cricket. It sent a strong message to rivals and fans alike: Shubman Gill is ready to carry the legacy of Indian batting into the next era. As India eyes the World Test Championship Final 2025, this innings could prove to be a defining momentum builder.
