3 things Jasprit Bumrah could've done better as captain in the 5th India vs England Test

When regular Test captain Rohit Sharma was ruled out of India's fifth Test against England due to COVID-19, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah had an excellent opportunity to make a name for himself as a leader. Having been in contention for the role for a while, Bumrah could've thrown his hat in the ring to skipper the side regularly.

However, things went pear-shaped for the pacer on a collective front. Although he picked up India's 'Player of the Series' award for his 23 wickets and performed well in the game, Bumrah ended up on the losing side. In the process, the visitors lost out on an opportunity to win their first Test series in England since 2007. He can't be blamed for all the decisions made on the field, of course, but he must take responsibility as the leader of the side.

Here are three things Jasprit Bumrah could've done better as captain in the fifth India vs England Test.

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#3 Jasprit Bumrah rotated his pace resources erratically

Mohammed Siraj in action during an India Net Session

India's usage of their pacers in the Edgbaston Test will be debated for a long time. Playing four out-and-out quicks in Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj, they had the opportunity to keep things tight from both ends throughout the contest. But all their plans unraveled spectacularly in Birmingham.

Rain breaks allowed Bumrah and Shami to bowl several overs in tandem at the start of England's first innings, but once the sun started to peek through the clouds, India had no answers. While their superstar speedster duo slowly lost penetration, Siraj and Thakur leaked runs from the other end whenever they were brought into the attack despite the former scalping four wickets at the fag end of the first essay.

In the second innings, India's fast bowlers were used in shortened four-over spells as the English batters found it easy to adjust to the changes. Bumrah and Shami were bizarrely not used immediately after session breaks and just before the close of play. Even on the final day, when India needed a miracle from their premier pacemen, Siraj opened the bowling.

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#2 Bumrah didn't use Ravindra Jadeja effectively

England v India - Fifth LV= Insurance Test Match: Day Four

Playing as the sole spinner in a pace-heavy attack, Ravindra Jadeja was expected to come into his own in the second innings with some turn and bounce on offer. However, he was brought into the attack very late and couldn't make a big impact.

Even when Jadeja bowled, his plans weren't ideal. The left-arm spinner operated from over the wicket against England's right-handers in an attempt to hit the rough outside leg-stump, but that proved all too easy for the batters to negotiate with lbw out of the question. He also found himself without one of his biggest weapons - the arm-ball - to trouble the likes of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.

India were too defensive with their usage of Jadeja, which Bumrah - as the captain - should've prevented. Speaking of defensive...

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#1 India's field placements were too defensive at times

England v India - Fifth LV= Insurance Test Match: Day Three

A characteristic of England's new era under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum has been their willingness to set attacking fields. Always employing a few fielders in catching positions within the circle, Stokes and Co. have managed to force opposition batters into making mistakes.

India, on the other hand, couldn't do that in Birmingham. Bumrah's field settings were often too defensive as the English batters found easy singles on the off-side even off good deliveries. The threat posed by Bairstow forced the visiting skipper to push fielders like mid-off and mid-on back by a few yards, letting him get off strike whenever he wanted to.

India should've backed their bowlers to keep things in check and set attacking fields to complement their plans. But as they took their foot off the pedal, England cantered home to record their highest chase in Test history.