Before the Test series against India, one of the biggest questions in England was how many matches Jasprit Bumrah would play. Some reports stated two, while others stated three. The suspense was put to rest when head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that Bumrah would only be available for three Tests. This important announcement was made on Thursday, just before the team started for England.

Which three Tests he actually plays in remains unclear. He could feature in alternate matches or get a full rest after playing in the first two. The decision revolves around workload management, especially since Bumrah aggravated a back injury during the final Test of the Australia series.

The reports had suggested that a recurrence of the back injury could jeopardize Bumrah's career, so this cautious approach is being adopted. Now all eyes are on the person who will step up in Bumrah's absence. India certainly bows to nothing in pace options, with Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh in line.

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Bumrah was India's biggest star with the ball in this series in Australia. He was the highest wicket-taker in the series, taking 32 wickets in just five matches, though he suffered an injury in the last game.

India Squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.