Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was not pleased with Jasprit Bumrah’s decision to bat first in the fifth and final Test against Australia. Replacing Rohit Sharma as a skipper, Bumrah decided to put the batters in on a track that had a lot of grass on it.
Several former players didn’t like the call because of the weather as well. Trailing 1-2, the visitors included Shubman Gill and Prasidh Krishna in place of Rohit and Akash Deep.
Irfan wanted India to lose the toss as he was aware that the team would bat first if the toss went in their favor.
“I would be happy if India had lost the toss in the Sydney Test. I knew that India would bat first, considering the history of the iconic venue. The teams batting second want to bring their spinners into play over here, and we have seen in the past that slow bowlers have enjoyed bowling in Syndey.
“However, a lot of grass has been left on the pitch, and with the weather not good, the call to bowl first should have been considered.
“The batters will have to back the decision and put runs on the board. It is a brave call, but you need to stick to it,” Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports.
Leave a Reply