The BCCI has announced an 18-man squad for the five-match Test series in England, and Jasprit Bumrah has been allotted to the troop. However, in the pre-series press conference in India, coach Gautam Gambhir clarified that JAsprit Bumrah will be playing all three Test, even though which three are not decided.
Meanwhile, in a recent interaction with RevSports, former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun explained that its not atypical to play Bumrah in all five Tests. But there are some catches.
It is not that Bumrah bowling fewer overs in a Test can save him from an injury. But it's mainly on how the team is treating him in the nets and his recovery sessions in the gym—that is some basic workload management off the field. Speaking about that Bharat Arun said,
"They are a perfect recipe for some bowler to get injured. So, obviously, we cannot control the number of overs that Jasprit Bumrah bowls in a match.”
“But according to the number of overs he bowls in the match, the practice sessions can be toned down for him where he needs to be working on his recovery. It can be a strength training session in the gym or some recovery work with the physios.”
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According to Arun, Bumrah is not just crucial for himself but for the other bowlers to get good support. Arun, who has worked with Bumrah during his tenure with the Indian Cricket Team, feels that the bowler is good to go for all the Tests, given good support by his fellow bowlers. Arun added,
"So, handling him will be very crucial. And as you rightly mentioned, Bumrah’s presence in the team adds huge value. Not only does he do well, but he also rallies the other bowlers.”
“So, ideally, I would expect him to play all the Test matches. If there is very good support from the other bowlers, Bumrah can be preserved and play in all the five Test matches. If he is going to be bowling, taking a lot of the workload, then I am afraid he will not be ready for all five Tests. So, how the other bowlers support him becomes very vital. So, we have got to take it as you go, rather than saying he is good for the first three Test matches, and then you need to give him a break. The other bowlers can help Bumrah play in all the Test matches if they are bowling really well."
Notably, suffered from a stress fracture during the Sydney test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Since then he missed the major trophies but participated in the 2025 Indian Premier League. Before leaving India, Gambhir clarified that the Indian Team has a good bunch of players who can complement Bumrah's absence in the other two Tests.
