India faced a tough five-wicket defeat in the opening Test against England, as the hosts successfully chased down a formidable target of 371 runs in just 82 overs on Tuesday, June 24. This famous victory puts England 1-0 up in the five-match series. While the Indian batting struggled to convert starts, much of the post-match discussion revolved around the performance and availability of India’s ace pacer, Jasprit Bumrah.
Despite his status as the World No. 1 Test bowler, Bumrah experienced a mixed outing. He delivered a stellar performance in the first innings, snaring five wickets for 83 runs in 24.4 overs. However, he remained surprisingly wicketless in the second innings, even after bowling 19 overs. This second-innings drought, however, didn’t diminish his overall impact, as Bumrah was India’s best bowler in the Leeds Test.
Reports from Indian media prior to the series suggested that the 31-year-old speedster would be managed carefully, with plans for him to feature in only the first, third, and fifth Tests as part of his workload management. This has naturally led to questions about his participation in the upcoming second Test.
During the post-match presentation, India Test captain Shubman Gill was directly asked about Bumrah’s availability for the next match, scheduled from July 2 to 6 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Gill remained non-committal, stating that no decision had been made yet. “It’s definitely more game by game; you know there’s a good break after the Test match, so once we’re close to the match we’ll see,” he explained, referring to the eight-day gap between the first and second Tests.
Will Bumrah play the next Test or will India stick to their rumored workload management plan? Only time will tell.
