Will Jasprit Bumrah play in 3rd Test against New Zealand in Mumbai? Captain Rohit Sharma takes bold decision!

New Delhi: After playing back-to-back test matches, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has taken an extraordinary and unpopular decision by many to give rest to his main fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. After losing the first 2 tests, India might face a whitewash against the Kiwis.

However, that has not deterred Rohit from taking the hard call to rest his prime bowler, who will be a vital cog for the Indian challenge in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy. Moreover, Bumrah hasn’t been as effective as the team would’ve liked him to be on spin-friendly pitches against New Zealand.

The third test between both India and New Zealand is scheduled to take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1.

🇮🇳❤️ pic.twitter.com/ExfBs04xGt

— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) October 1, 2024

Dinesh Karthik analyses Rohit Sharma’s decision

Former cricketer, current commentator, and presenter Dinesh Karthik supported Rohit Sharma’s decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah. In a recent interview with Cricbuzz Karthik remarked:

Jasprit Bumrah definitely needs a rest without a doubt. That is happening, and you will see Mohammed Siraj come in. I can’t think of any other change unless someone has a niggle. I don’t see any reason why the batters who played this game or the bowlers should not get an opportunity…

Karthik doesn’t think many changes would be made in India’s batting unit despite the woeful show in the first two matches. But, Mohammed Siraj replacing Jasprit Bumrha is a change that the former India wicket-keeper batter does see taking place.

Washington’s rise to fame

Meanwhile, India’s wild card entry Washington Sundar was the top performer with the ball for India in the Pune Test and was primarily dominated by spinners. Yet, India failed to pull themselves level with a win, suffering a second straight loss to go 0-2 down in the series.