Jasprit Bumrah picked a five-wicket haul in the first Test against England.
India captain Shubman Gill has said that it is difficult that pacer Jasprit Bumrah is playing just three Tests against England, but believes that anything is possible. Jasprit Bumrah played the first Test against England in Leeds last week.
In the first innings, he registered figures of 5/83 but went wicketless in the second innings (0/57). The Gujarat speedster also did not bowl in the final phase of England’s successful run chase.
“It is difficult but we have picked the best players from India. It is not an impossible task, other bowlers are good – we have a good pool,” Shubman Gill told reporters during a pre-match press conference in Birmingham on Tuesday.
If Jasprit Bumrah is not participating in the second Test, India have Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep as other pace bowling options.
The Punjab cricketer confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah is available, but a final call will be made after taking a look at the wickets on Tuesday. “Jasprit Bumrah is available. We are trying to find the right combination which can pick 20 wickets and score runs as well. Will take final call after looking at the wicket for final time today,” he said.
Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness and workload has been a major talking point in the ongoing Test series against England. The 31-year-old had suffered a back spasm during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney earlier this year.
He eventually missed the limited-overs series against England and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy that followed. Jasprit Bumrah also missed the start of the IPL 2025 season with the Mumbai Indians.
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His lack of contribution in terms of wickets in England’s run-chase in Leeds was clearly felt as India suffered a five-wicket loss. Openers Zak Crawley (65) and Ben Duckett (149) forged a 188-run stand, which then set the platform for England’s win.
In the second innings, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each whereas Ravindra Jadeja took a wicket as well. In the first innings, India were heavily reliant on Jasprit Bumrah to get the breakthroughs. Apart from Bumrah, only Mohammed Siraj (2/122) and Prasidh Krishna (3/128) took wickets in the first innings for the visitors.
The second Test between England and India will begin at Edgbaston from Wednesday. India will look to level the five-match series 1-1.
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