Bumrah to Miss Second Test vs England in Birmingham as Part of Workload Management
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 26th June: India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will sit out the second Test against England, scheduled to begin July 2 in Birmingham, as part of a pre-planned workload management strategy, sources confirmed to NDTV. The absence of the in-form fast bowler, who picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the opening Test in Leeds, is expected to be a major blow to the Indian bowling attack.
Despite Bumrah’s heroics with the ball — he returned figures of 5/140 in 43.4 overs at an economy of 3.20 — the rest of the Indian pace battery struggled to make an impact. Prasidh Krishna was expensive with match figures of 5/220, and Mohammed Siraj managed 2/173 across two innings. Together with Shardul Thakur, the three fast-bowling all-rounders produced a combined return of 9 wickets for 482 runs in 92 overs, highlighting a stark gap in performance without Bumrah’s consistency and control.
Bumrah to Return for Third Test at Lord’s
As per team management, Bumrah was always expected to feature in only three of the five Tests against England. With the third Test starting on July 10 at Lord’s, the right-arm pacer is likely to return to action then.
In his absence, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh — India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 99 scalps in 63 games — is tipped to make his Test debut. Also in contention is medium pace all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who could replace Shardul Thakur to strengthen India’s lower-order batting.
The current squad also includes Akash Deep, who is another specialist fast bowler.
Mixed Reactions from Former Players
The decision to rest Bumrah has triggered debate among former players. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, speaking on Sky Sports, cautioned against benching Bumrah at this stage.
“If he was looking at a rest, you may have to think twice. If you don’t have him and then go 2-0 down, it could be an uphill task,” Shastri warned.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar also suggested that India consider playing Bumrah in all five Tests, given the importance of the series. However, India’s current head coach Gautam Gambhir reiterated the need to manage Bumrah’s workload, especially with a packed international calendar ahead.
“Managing his workload is more important because there’s a lot of cricket going forward. Before he came on the tour, it was already decided he would play three Tests. Let’s see how his body turns out,” Gambhir said at the post-match press conference in Leeds.
As India looks to bounce back in Birmingham after falling short in the first Test, Bumrah’s absence will test the bench strength and adaptability of the squad. With England already 1-0 up in the five-match series, the upcoming Test becomes a critical juncture in India’s campaign.
