Dale Steyn brings Cristiano Ronaldo metaphor to portray Gautam Gambhir's stupidity for Jasprit Bumrah

Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn took a dig at Team India captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir for leaving out Jasprit Bumrah from the second Test against England. Steyn also compared the decision to rest Bumrah to benching a global football icon like Cristiano Ronaldo.

India's playing XI for the second Test at Edgbaston has triggered heavy criticism from fans and former cricketers due to some controversial selections. The most debated move was the exclusion of Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested despite the team being 0-1 down in the ongoing five-match Test series.

Dale Steyn Takes a Dig at Team India for Resting Jasprit Bumrah

Dale Steyn slammed the Indian team management's decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah. Skipper Shubman Gill confirmed at the toss that Bumrah was being rested for the third Test at Lord’s.

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Steyn mocked the call on social media, drawing comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo in football. He called it “madness” and expressed disbelief that India would leave out their premier fast bowler in a must-win Test.

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“So Portugal have the best striker in the world in Ronaldo and they chose not to play him. That’s madness. That’s like India having Bumrah and choosing not to play, umm, him… wait, oh, no, what! shit I’m confused 😵‍💫,” Steyn wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

So Portugal have the best striker in the world in Ronaldo and they chose not to play him.

Thats madness.

That’s like India having Bumrah and choosing not to play, umm, him… wait, oh, no, what! shit I’m confused 😵‍💫

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) July 2, 2025

Jasprit Bumrah Best Bowler for India in Opening Test Against England

India have managed just one win in their last nine Test matches since October 2024. Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer with the ball in the opening Test against England, where he claimed a five-wicket haul. He became the first Asian fast bowler to take 150 wickets in SENA countries.

However, the right-arm pacer went wicketless in the fourth innings as England successfully chased down 371 runs, the tenth-highest run chase in Test history. Before the series began, Bumrah confirmed he would play only three of the five Tests as part of a workload management plan.

The 31-year-old had featured in all five matches of the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy but suffered a back spasm during the Sydney Test, which sidelined him for three months, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Shubman Gill’s Masterclass Anchors India to Strong Finish on Day 1

India made three changes to their XI for the match. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, and Washington Sundar replaced Sai Sudharsan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shardul Thakur. England skipper Ben Stokes opted to bowl first after winning the toss at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Wednesday, July 2.

KL Rahul was dismissed cheaply, but Yashasvi Jaiswal and Karun Nair steadied the innings. Jaiswal scored 87 off 107 balls, including 13 boundaries, narrowly missing out on another century. Nair contributed 31 runs, while Rishabh Pant added 25.

Shubman Gill smashed his second century of the series and remained unbeaten on 114 at stumps. Ravindra Jadeja supported him well with an unbeaten 41 off 67 balls, helping India recover from 211 for 5 in the final session. India ended the opening day with a solid total of 310 for 5.

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