In Wednesday's second Test match against England in Birmingham, former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn blasted the Indian team management, which included head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill, for excluding Jasprit Bumrah from the game. One of the three adjustments India made for the game was to substitute Akash Deep for Bumrah in the lineup.

Steyn compared India's decision to bench Bumrah for the Edgbaston Test to Portugal benching Cristiano Ronaldo, saying he couldn't comprehend it.

"Hence, Ronaldo is the best striker in the world, yet Portugal chose not to use him. That's insane. Steyn tweeted, "It's like India having Bumrah and choosing not to play, umm, him... wait, oh, no, what! shit I'm confused."

Why was Jasprit Bumrah not picked for 2nd Test?

If one thing was clear about the Indian team touring England was that Bumrah would play just three Test matches in order to manage his workload. The decision as taken after a strict advice from the BCCI medical team, as revealed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar during squad announcement in May. 

With India down 0-1 in the Test series following the loss in Leeds, experts urged the management to not rest Bumrah for the second game in Birmingham, especially after the 31-year-old picked up a five-wicket in the first innings in the opening Test match amid a no-show from his fellow quicks. But Gambhir and Gill paid no heed to the call as they announced that Bumrah would warm the bench during the Edgbaston Test. 

“Just to manage his workload. We did get a good break and this is an important match for us. But the third Test being at Lord's, we think there'll be more in that pitch so we'll use him there,” Gill explained at the toss. 

India ended Day 1 in the second Test at 310 for five after the captain scored a second consecutive ton in the series. 

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