India's decision to rest their premier pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test against England in Birmingham shocked fans and former players alike.
England elected to bowl at Edgbaston as they fielded an unchanged team, but India made three changes.
Bumrah was rested from this Test match as part of his workload management, confirmed Shubman Gill at the toss as Akash Deep took his place.
Gill stated that the fast bowler is expected to return in the third Test at Lord's, where the wicket is likely to favour seamers.
'This is an important match for us, but the third Test match is at Lord's and there may be something more in the wicket and we thought we will play him there,' added Gill.
Former India all-rounder and coach Ravi Shastri was stunned by the decision as he questioned the decision to rest Bumrah despite a week's gap between the first two Tests.
'If you look at the run India has had in Tests, this becomes a very, very important Test match. You lost three against New Zealand, you lost three against Australia, you have lost the first Test here, so you want to get back to winning ways.'
'You have the best fast bowler in the world and you make him sit out after seven days of rest. It is something very hard to believe,' former India coach Shastri told Sky Sports Cricket.
Former England captain Michael Atherton echoed Shastri's views.
'A week between the Test matches and you have a must-win match in terms of the series but they have rested their best fast bowler, very strange decision to me,' Atherton said on commentary for JioHotstar.
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