ENG vs IND: Is Jasprit Bumrah available for 2nd test at Edgbaston? Captain Shubman Gill reveals

Jasprit Bumrah is slated to play only three tests in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.

India captain Shubman Gill spoke on ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the second test of the five-match test series against England. The second match of the five-test series will begin on July 2 at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.

India trail 0-1 in the series as despite centuries from KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (two), and captain Shubman Gill himself, India suffered a humiliating five-wicket loss as England easily chased down the 371-run target.

Jasprit Bumrah, who had picked up 5/83 in the first innings, went wicketless in the second innings. England played out the Indian pacer, who, due to workload, wasn’t bowling long spells and instead milked the other Indian bowlers on their way to victory.

“Jasprit Bumrah is definitely available.” – Shubman Gill

On the eve of the match, Indian red-ball captain Shubman Gill discussed whether Jasprit Bumrah would be available for the second test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.

He disclosed that the final starting lineup will only be determined after he and the management have agreed on the tactics and strategy to be used, taking into account the pitch’s performance on the first day.

“Jasprit Bumrah is definitely available. We just need to see how we manage his workload in the upcoming tests. We are trying to find the right combination where we can take 20 wickets and score runs as well on this kind of wicket. We will take a final look at the wicket today (July 1) and then think about our final combination we want to go with tomorrow,” stated Gill during the pre-match presser.

Notably, Bumrah is slated to play only three tests in this series owing to workload management for his back injury.

By acknowledging that the current group of players was the best they could choose, Gill also dispelled any skepticism over the reliability of any member of the team to have participated in the first test.

“It is definitely difficult. But the team we have picked—these are the best players in India. We have picked the best 15-16 players in India. It is not like an impossible task; the other bowlers have also performed well. We have a good talent pool, and this is the main reason behind us competing well overseas,” added Gill. 

“Not pre-decided”- Shubman Gill on which tests Jasprit Bumrah will play or miss

Gill emphasized that rather than premeditating the games in which Bumrah will undoubtedly participate, the management chose to deal with him one game at a time.

“It was not pre-decided because there was a gap between the first and second tests. If the first two tests were together and then there was a gap, then it would have been pre-decided. But because there was a gap, we thought we would see how the tests went. We didn’t want to go into the series pre-deciding on that,” he remarked.

India are yet to win a test at this venue. They have played eight games and lost seven, while one match ended in a draw.

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