Cannot take players to the brink of breaking down: Virat Kohli on resting Jasprit Bumrah

With England resting James Anderson for the second Test, India sprang a surprise when Virat Kohli informed at the toss that Jasprit Bumrah was being rested.

The Indian pace spearhead had missed the Brisbane Test due to fitness issues before making a comeback in the first Test against England in Chennai.

Speaking about the decision to rest their No. 1 fast bowler, Virat Kohli said after winning the toss:

“Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for this game. We need to manage workloads as well, understanding how much cricket we have got to play in the next few months. We need to have our players fit and ready. Not take them to the brink of breaking down.”

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Virat Kohli shared his views on the surface, saying:

“It’s a good wicket. Day 1, it is going to be pretty good for batting. We expect the pitch to slow down and roughen up drastically from Day 2 onwards. It’s a good toss for us to win, get in and put big runs on the board.”

Team News: 3⃣ changes for #TeamIndia as @akshar2026, @imkuldeep18 & Mohammad Siraj named in the playing XI for the 2nd @Paytm #INDvENG Test! England make 4⃣ changes to their XI from the first Test & bring in Stuart Broad, Ben Foakes, Moeen Ali & Olly Stone. pic.twitter.com/ZaiDKCjn4Y

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 13, 2021

You shouldn’t get shocked or surprised when you get beaten at home: Virat Kohli

England have beaten India in three Tests at home in the last ten years. Asked if it was something to worry about, Virat Kohli pointed out that India have won away in England as well.

“It’s international cricket at the end of the day. You shouldn’t get shocked or surprised when you get beaten at home. Every team is good. It’s important to understand and put things in the right perspective. We need to know that if we play good enough cricket for longer periods of time, then we are a stronger side anywhere in the world. If we can play well away from home, we can definitely do well in our own conditions. But it boils down to mindset. You just cannot arrive at home, and say the teams are going to bundle out just because we are strong at home.”

India made a poor start when Shubman Gill was trapped lbw by Olly Stone for a duck. However, a brisk Rohit Sharma fifty has transmitted the pressure back on the visitors, while Cheteshwar Pujara is beginning to look comfortable as well.

FIFTY!@ImRo45 is at it from the word go. Brings up a fine half-century in the 2nd @Paytm #INDvENG Test.Live - https://t.co/Hr7Zk2kjNC #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/Wn4al1vbS7

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 13, 2021