Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed his disappointment with current coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to omit ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah from the second Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, which started on July 2. With India trailing 0-1 in the five-match Test series and aiming to bounce back, Shastri said India needed Bumrah the most in this Test and that "Lord's can come later." To manage Bumrah's workload, the team management decided to give him a break, as he cannot play all five Tests. However, Shastri is not happy with the team's strategy.

“This is a very important match, they’ve had a week off. I’m a little surprised Bumrah is not playing this game,” Shastri, who is on commentary duty for the series, said during Sky Sports' broadcast.

“It should be taken out of the player’s hand. It should be the captain and the coaching staff that decide who should be playing in the XI. This is an important game in the context of the series - he should be playing this game more than anything else,” he added.

Shastri also criticised the defensive mindset of the team management, stating it’s now predictable that Bumrah will be back for the third Test at Lord’s. However, he felt India should have fielded Bumrah while chasing a win at Edgbaston and thought about Lord’s later.

“Lord’s can come later. This is the important game where you’ve got to counter-punch almost straightaway. Play this one. Make it 1-1 and then give him the option: you want to rest at Lord’s, rest at Lord’s. You think he’ll rest at Lord’s? No chance if you win this. If you look at the run India has had, this becomes a very, very important Test match,” Shastri said.

Shastri, under whose tenure India won two back-to-back Test series in Australia in 2018–19 and 2020–21, also slammed Gambhir’s poor record as India’s head coach since taking over from Rahul Dravid in 2024.

“You’ve lost three against New Zealand, you’ve lost three against Australia. You’ve lost the first Test match here and you want to get back to winning ways. You have the best fast bowler in the side, in the world, and you make him sit out after seven days of rest - it’s something very hard to believe,” Shastri said on Sky Sports.

While Akash Deep has replaced Bumrah for the Edgbaston Test, Shastri is unhappy with the overall planning around Bumrah's availability for the series. Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad echoed Shastri’s surprise over the decision.

“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?” Broad said.

In the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, despite India setting a mammoth target of 371 runs, they lost the match by five wickets. Bumrah, who picked up a five-wicket haul in England’s first innings, didn’t receive enough support from the other bowlers to keep England in check.