India v England: No 'group discussion' on Jasprit Bumrah - Brendon McCullum
- Published
One of Jasprit Bumrah's nine wickets was a stunning yorker to bowl Ollie Pope
Brendon McCullum says England will not have a "group discussion" on how to play India pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah took nine wickets as India won the second Test in Visakhapatnam to level the series at 1-1.
"Bumrah bowled a fantastic spell of reverse-swing," head coach McCullum told BBC Sport.
"Our guys have so much talent and quality, it's just a matter of ensuring they feel confident to make decisions and go all in on their strategies."
Bumrah gave England a warning of his ability to reverse-swing the ball in his home conditions with a superb spell in the first Test, which the tourists won by 28 runs.
In Visakhapatnam, he engineered England's first-innings collapse of 6-68 with a scintillating burst on the second afternoon, including a devastating yorker that removed Ollie Pope's middle and leg stumps.
Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 15 scalps.
"We need to come up with some ways to counter that," said McCullum of Bumrah. "It won't be a group discussion."
Set 399 to win the second Test, England were bowled out for 292 to suffer only a fifth defeat in 20 matches since McCullum and captain Ben Stokes took charge in the summer of 2022.
England will now spend some time with their families in Abu Dhabi before the third Test in Rajkot begins on 15 February.
The break will allow recovery time for the likes of Pope, Tom Hartley and Ben Foakes, who were all struggling with illness on the final day in Visakhapatnam.
Jack Leach, who missed the Test with a knee injury, was also unwell, while Joe Root was discomforted by two blows he took to the finger.
India v England: Stokes praises Bumrah after India win second Test
But McCullum said the illnesses were not an "excuse" and that he has never seen his squad look "fitter".
With this series being England's first since the Ashes in July, a number of the Test specialists used the time off for fitness work. James Anderson even hired a public athletics track near Manchester City's Etihad Stadium.
"The level of commitment, from the youngest member of the squad to the oldest, keeping in mind we don't do fitness test stuff," said New Zealander McCullum.
"When you create an environment or a team the guys desperately want to be a part of, they put the work in themselves. Everyone one has turned up here in incredible physical condition."
Without Leach, England fielded three spinners in Visakhapatnam with only three previous caps between them. Rehan Ahmed was playing his third Test, Hartley his second and Shoaib Bashir was on debut.
The trio performed admirably, especially on the third afternoon, when India were bowled out for 255 in their second innings.
Hartley and Bashir were both left-field picks for the tour. Hartley had played only 20 prior first-class matches and Bashir just six, but England identified both men as having the attributes to succeed in Indian conditions.
"The development of the young spinners has been fantastic," said McCullum. "Not just their skillset but their passion to want the big moments.
"The pitches in the first two Tests have been very different and they needed different styles of play. I'm sure the third Test will be different again. We've just got to be sure we're adaptable."
India have not lost a home series since 2012, but England are also unbeaten since Stokes and McCullum took charge.
And McCullum, who played 101 Tests for New Zealand, likened the contest to a "heavyweight fight".
"What makes a great fight is a contrast in styles and the conviction in those methods," said McCullum.
"What we have seen is that both teams will give as good as what they get. I'm sure everyone around the world that has supported this series so far has been totally entertained and enthralled by the contest and 1-1 is probably a fair reflection of where it is at the moment.
"If the next three Tests are anything like these last two, it's going to be one hell of a series."