India captain Shubman Gill confirmed Jasprit Bumrah is available for selection for the second Test against England at Edgbaston, beginning Wednesday, July 2. However, the final call on his participation will be taken later in the day once the team management has reviewed the 22 yards dished out for the contest. The 31-year-old will be playing just three Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, as it was confirmed earlier.
The No.1-ranked ICC Test bowler, Bumrah, dished out 43.4 overs in the series opener in Headingley. There was daylight between Bumrah and the rest of the seamers (Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur). The rest of the three pacers conceded runs at a brisk pace and were unable to create any sort of pressure.
Bumrah took five wickets in the first innings but failed to take a single wicket in the second innings. Shubman Gill seemingly managed Bumrah’s workload in the middle of the Test, as he was not asked to bowl even when England were 85 runs away from the target of 371.
“Bumrah is surely available. We have to look into this workload management. We have to look into the final combination today at the nets,” Gill told reporters on the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
In the first innings of the Headingley Test, Bumrah bowled 24.4 overs while in the second, he delivered 19 overs. When he returned with five wickets, there were calls for him to play all five Tests. However, India head coach Gautam Gambhir put all suggestions to rest, saying there would be no change of plans as the pacer would just be playing three matches.
Also Read: India risk ‘losing Jasprit Bumrah forever’ if he plays Edgbaston Test: ‘He has a young family
Speaking about the same, Gill said, “We knew prior to the series that we would get Jasprit for three games, but we had that sorted beforehand. Yes, obviously we would miss him, but we have our plans sorted.”
Gill also said that it has not been pre-decided which games Bumrah will play, as the situation continues to remain fluid and the management is taking it one game at a time.
Bumrah’s workload management
Ever since Bumrah went down with a back spasm in the Sydney Test against Australia, the team management has been extra careful in managing his workload.
Due to the back injury, Bumrah missed the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. He also missed the initial few matches for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 edition.
Ahead of the series against England, Bumrah revealed how he himself requested the BCCI to not consider him for Test captaincy after the retirement of Rohit Sharma as he would not be able to play all five Tests against England owing to workload management.