IND vs ENG Tests: 'Why was it not kept a secret?', Aakash Chopra questions decision to reveal Jasprit Bumrah's involvement in England series

Time of India

3 days ago

Former India cricketer
has raised questions about India's decision to publicly announce
's limited participation in the ongoing England Test series, where the pace spearhead is set to play only three matches as part of workload management. This was confirmed by India coach
before the series and reiterated after the Headingley loss.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned the strategy of making this information public, suggesting that keeping it confidential could have given India a tactical advantage.
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"
said he will play three matches only, and I am thinking whether it was required to publicise it. Why was it not kept a secret? We don't announce our team as well. So why was it necessary to reiterate it repeatedly before the start of the tour that he would play three matches only? Let them guess.
You play whichever Tests you wish," said Chopra.
Jasprit Bumrah press conference: Lashes out at critics, dropped catches and no balls
Chopra highlighted the potential disadvantages of this public announcement, particularly regarding England's preparation and pitch strategies for the remaining matches.
"You have played one, and you know you can play only two of the remaining four matches, which is not a good thing. If you play the second as well, you will play one of three. So, suddenly, the opposition gets into a great frame of mind that Bumrah, your biggest strength, is also not there.
You can prepare pitches accordingly," said Chopra.
The former opener also expressed concerns about India's fast bowling future, emphasising the need to prepare the next generation of pace bowlers.
"The next generation of Indian fast bowlers will have to be prepared. It's a serious issue. There were two important pillars of India's good performances away from home. One was batters starting to score runs, but it doesn't work out with that as you need to pick up 20 wickets.
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So Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj were outstanding with Jasprit Bumrah," said Chopra.
Chopra reflected on India's past pace bowling successes while discussing the current challenges facing the team's fast bowling department.
"I also remember Ishant Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's Lord's Test. When there are doubts about Bumrah's availability, who will take the responsibility going forward, because Mohammad Shami, I think that story is not over, but it is close to an ending. Mohammed Siraj is good, but he hasn't reached the rank of Bumrah or Shami," Chopra added.