Gill, Gautam underline factors surrounding Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for England Tests

India Test captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir have underlined several factors that will determine Jasprit Bumrah’s playing time on the forthcoming England tour. With the first of the five Tests beginning June 20 in Leeds, the Indian Team will bank on Bumrah to help them deliver the first punch, like how he did on their previous away tour Down Under.

Though Bumrah excelled against Australia in Australia, picking 32 wickets in four matches before suffering a back injury that ruled him out of the final SCG Test, the team doctors have advised him against playing all games, or rather several on the trot, to avoid getting into the same position.

Even during the squad announcement for the England tour, chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed what the doctors said about man managing Bumrah's workload in the upcoming series.

"We haven't taken that call, which three games is he going to play," Gambhir said during a pre-departure press conference, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "We are going to have a discussion with him, and depending on the series as well. A lot will depend on the results of the series, where the series is heading. That is something which I am sure he is very well aware of as well, and that is important.”

However, considering Bumrah can play only three or at max four Tests against England, the head coach and the skipper are confident of maintaining the quality of the bowling attack, having picked several top seamers in Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and even uncapped quick Arshdeep Singh. The touring team even have backup options in Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

"I think we have picked enough bowlers, and we have enough pace battery, and a lot of fast bowlers are in a great space to be able to win us Test matches from any situation or any position," Gill said. "Obviously, when you have someone like Jasprit Bumrah, depending on how many matches he would play, whenever he would come back and play the match for us, it would be a great sight for us. But I think we have a great mix of bowlers and a great set of bowlers who can get the job for the team done.

"I have said it before during the Champions Trophy (which Bumrah missed and India won) as well, it will give someone the opportunity to put his hand up, and we have got enough talent there. I know that he is quality, but we have got enough quality apart from him as well in the squad," the new Test captain added.

Meanwhile, India’s away tour of England is the first series of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and will not feature three Indian superstars – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, who all announced Test retirements earlier. Test specialist Mohammed Shami will also miss the five-match series due to workload management.