India dealt Jasprit Bumrah setback for 2nd Test as England regain Jofra Archer
Jasprit Bumrah was India's standout bowler in the series opener against hosts England at Headingley. To manage the workload of Bumrah, who was out for four months with a back injury earlier this year, India decided before the five-match Test series that the premier fast bowler would only play three Tests against England.
Speaking to the media after England's dominant win in the Leeds opener, India head coach Gautam Gambhir made it clear that the visitors would not alter their stance on Bumrah's availability. Gambhir mentioned that India have not decided which other two Tests Bumrah will feature in the ongoing five-match series.
With the 2nd Test set to start on 2 July at Edgbaston, multiple reports from India have suggested that the visitors will miss the services of Bumrah in Birmingham. According to the NDTV, Bumrah won't lead the pace attack of the visitors in the 2nd Test due to his workload management.
India resume training without Bumrah in nets
As per the recent developments, Bumrah was also absent from on-field training as India began preparations for the second Test against England at Edgbaston on Friday. Fellow pacer Prasidh Krishna was also reportedly missing from the session in Birmingham.
Bumrah bagged five wickets and bowled 24.4 overs in the 1st England innings at Headingley. The 31-year-old went wicketless in the 2nd innings as England chased down 371 in its memorable five-wicket win on the final day of the Leeds Test.
Why managing Bumrah’s workload takes priority
"I think for us, managing his workload is more important because there's a lot of cricket going forward, and we know what he brings to the table as well. So, before he came to the tour, it was already decided that he was going to play three Test matches. But let's see how his body turns out," Gambhir told reporters in Leeds. Team India has also released seamer Harshit Rana from their squad ahead of the Edgbaston Test.
England ready to unleash Jofra Archer
As uncertainty surrounds Bumrah’s participation, England, meanwhile, have injected firepower by adding Jofra Archer to its Test squad. Archer is the sole addition to the England squad following the five-wicket win at Headingley that gave them a 1-0 lead in the series.
The England pacer has not played a Test since the 2021 tour of India. The 30-year-old marked his long-awaited return to first-class cricket over the weekend, delivering 18 overs and claiming 1 for 32 in Sussex’s drawn match against Durham.