Jasprit Bumrah announcing his decision to play only three Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in advance has earned praise from former Test batter Ajinkya Rahane.

This comes in the middle of a much-publicised debate on the fast bowler’s policy to pick and choose Test matches.

Rahane thinks such clarity of thought showed his willingness to put the team’s needs ahead of his.

“What I liked about the Bumrah situation was that he was pretty clear; he knew what he wanted to do before the series. He said, ‘I’ll play the first one, I won’t play the second one, and then I’ll play the third’. Great clarity for a captain. It shows that he has the courage to tell the captain and management to be really clear,” Rahane said on his YouTube channel.

“It also shows that he is keeping the team ahead of himself. Sometimes it is not easy to do so when you are playing for India. As a player, when you are representing India, it’s not easy. Sometimes players convey the same message to the team, and then they get dropped.

“It just shows that he wanted the team to be well prepared even when he wasn’t playing. Because of his unique action, there is a lot of load on his body. If you want Bumrah to play all five Tests, then use him in smaller spells like 3 overs or 4 overs,” said Rahane.

Bumrah’s class showed in England’s tentative approach in the three Tests he played. The world’s No.1 Test bowler claimed two five-wicket hauls — at Headingley and Lord’s — and finished with 14 wickets in the series.

“I think England were wary of Bumrah when he was playing; ‘Bazball’ didn’t come out to the full extent. When Bumrah wasn’t there, they played a little freely. It is important to use him properly; you have to give him the luxury to get the best out of him,” he added.

With Mohammed Shami unavailable, Mohammed Siraj upped his game along with the likes of Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, who showed their mettle when pressure was put on them. Siraj came up with a stellar performance with his ability to bowl long incisive spells and ended with 23 wickets in nine innings.

India won both the Tests where Bumrah didn’t play.