Despite a five-wicket defeat in the series opener at Headingley, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that star pacer Jasprit Bumrah will not feature in more than three Tests during the ongoing five-match series against England. The decision, he stressed, is rooted in long-term workload management rather than short-term results.
Bumrah, who was instrumental in the first innings with a five-wicket haul (5/83), went wicketless in the second as England pulled off a record 371-run chase. Yet, Gambhir reiterated that India will stick to their original plan of limiting Bumrah’s appearances.
“No, we won’t change the plans. Managing his workload is more important because there’s a lot of cricket going forward,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference. “Before the tour, it was already decided that he would play three Test matches. But let’s see how his body responds — we haven’t finalised which two of the remaining four Tests he’ll play.”
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier revealed that Bumrah was advised against playing consecutive Tests following a back stress reaction sustained during the Sydney Test against Australia in January.
India now trail 0–1 in the series and face the prospect of taking the field without their pace spearhead in two of the next four matches. But Gambhir expressed full faith in the depth of India’s pace reserves — including Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, and Akash Deep.
“We absolutely have the bowling attack. We believe in them. We trust in them,” said Gambhir. “Those are inexperienced bowlers, yes, but they will keep getting better. We were in a position to win this Test for four and a half days — even on day five. We believe these boys will deliver for us.”
While dropped catches hurt India in the first innings, it was the lack of sustained pressure in the second that allowed England to escape. Bumrah’s off-day coincided with a spirited effort from Krishna and Thakur, who picked up two wickets apiece, but the damage had been done.
As India prepare for the second Test without their leading pacer, all eyes will be on the next crop of fast bowlers — untested on https://catchngoal.com/English soil, but backed by their coach to rise to the challenge.
