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Aaron Finch has criticised India’s decision to bench Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test against England, questioning the choice.
Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets in the first Test. (AP Photo)
Former Australian cricketer Aaron Finch has slammed India’s decision to bench ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test against England at Edgbaston, saying that if he was fit, then the Indian team should have picked ‘the best bowler in the world’, or at least Kuldeep Yadav.
Given that India were 0-1 down in the five-match series, the second Test became an important point in the tie. With just a three-day break for the third Test at the Lord’s, Bumrah‘s participation became doubtful because of workload management.
India decided to go with Washington Sundar as an option to extend their batting over a specialist spinner in Kuldeep.
“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,” Finch tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
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
Before the toss, the boundary ropes being brought in caught the eye of many at Edgbaston. With premier match winner Bumrah rested from the game, India brought in Akash Deep in his place while making two interesting changes, leaving out Sai Sudharsan for Sundar and replacing Shardul Thakur with Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Kuldeep was once again ignored as India picked a second spinner in batting all-rounder Washington. For a side that struggled to take 20 wickets at Leeds, the decision to shore up the batting was debatable.
Yashasvi Jaiswal maintained his aggression despite being tested by the England pacers, while Karun Nair showed promise at number three before being dismissed late in the session as India reached 98/2 at lunch on day one of the second Test in Edgbaston.
Considering the overhead conditions, Stokes opted to bowl, but Jaiswal and Nair did well to survive the tough period.
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