Alastair Cook has urged England to drop wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who is having an abysmal series, from the Ranchi Test to “protect the player”.
Playing as a specialist batter, Bairstow has endured a woeful run in the ongoing
five-match series. He is averaging 17.00 having registered scores of 0, 4, 25, 26, 37 and 10 in six innings.
“I’m taking him out of the firing line to protect the player, as I think he’s had a tough tour so far and India
is a tough place to keep going on the treadmill,” Cook told TNT Sport.
“I’m not saying he’ll never play Test cricket again, but it’s good to have someone who’s fresh of all the debris of this series so far.”
The former captain has backed Dan Lawrence to replace Bairstow as the all-rounder will step up out in Ranchi without any baggage.
However, another former skipper, Michael Atherton feels the team management will continue to back Bairstow to come good.
“(Bairstow) has been so central to this project that I don’t see them leaving him out now, at a critical juncture,” Atherton said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
