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Who took the call that ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah won’t play more than three Test matches against England this summer? It’s surely not the selectors or the BCCI — it’s a group of physiotherapists and medical team members of the BCCI who made that decision in the name of workload management. Can anyone imagine a fit Kapil Dev skipping a Test match in England? Not even in the wildest dream. Some even say with pride today that Kapil Dev never missed a tour game, let alone a Test match.
If this is the state of our best Test bowler — whose participation is restricted to just three Tests — how can our national team even dream of winning a Test series in England? Who will take the lead role in claiming those 20 wickets needed to win a Test match?
At this stage of the series, Bumrah’s participation is non-negotiable — and for good reason. The series is very much alive, and without Bumrah, the Indian bowling attack simply lacks the sharpness or threat, especially against an aggressive English batting lineup. It’s as straightforward as it gets: Bumrah needs to play.
Now, Indian Test captain Shubman Gill has said in the pre-match presser that Bumrah is available for selection, but the team management will take a final call after assessing the pitch. But what does that mean exactly? If the pitch looks flat, Bumrah won’t play? Is that the logic now?
If India are 1-1 or 2-1 down in a Test series, or even slightly ahead with England breathing down their neck, you don’t hold back Bumrah for some theoretical “fifth Test” that may not even matter if the series is lost before that.
So hypothetically, if English curators roll out flat decks for the remainder of the series, Bumrah won’t feature again — even if India desperately needs wickets? That line of reasoning doesn’t hold up. It suggests we’re not prioritizing winning the series, but merely ‘managing’ resources. And that’s a dangerous precedent for a team that wants to be the best in the world.
Won’t the team management worry about the backlash back home if India lose the Edgbaston Test without Bumrah? They absolutely should — because it will not only be seen as a tactical blunder, but also as a failure of judgement.
Bumrah sitting on the sidelines while his fellow pacers toil without rhythm or bite will be a damning image. Fans won’t buy into workload logic when the series is on the line. When your best bowler is fit and available, he plays — it’s as simple as that. Imagine the frustration if India fall short by 50 runs or fail to take 20 wickets while Bumrah watches from the boundary rope. That’s not just a selection miss — it’s a narrative disaster.
This isn’t just about protecting a player’s body. It’s about protecting India’s chances in a historic away series. You don’t bench your biggest match-winner when the stakes are high. It would be utterly shameful!
Rightly pointed out, Bumrah must play all 5 Test matches in the England series. There is no second fiddle to Bumrah as he is our best, and he needs to play tomorrow, guys.
Indian Cricket without Bumrah, is a nightmare in foreign conditions. To be honest, Indian team looks average if Bumrah is unavailable.
“So hypothetically, if English curators roll out flat decks for the remainder of the series, Bumrah won’t feature again — even if India desperately needs wickets?”
This is a very critical takeaway. Beyond that, if you look at it dispassionately, even Bumrah couldn’t deliver in the second innings when India desperately needed wickets. His fivefer in the first innings combined with batting fireworks set up the game beautifully. But in the end, the team, the technicians and the fans could only helplessly watch India lose steam and thr Test. Maybe we need five specialist bowlers for the second Test to make up for losing the tip of the bowling spear
India was probably not prepared for Bazball and the fault lies with the coaching staff for that. Yes we beat them 4-1 in India but this is England not India. Whoever we pick we need to be prepared for the fact that the English batters will come at us. Yes not picking Bumrah could be costly as he is the one guy with the defensive skills to counter Bazball. Otherwise India will need to play out of their skins throughout the series.
Its like a double edged sword..India needs bumrah. Without him we will not be able to take 20 wickets . Simple. BUT is this the only time or probably last time team needs him?? The answer is no. India needs him to play the world cups as well..team needs him for longer tenure… im not a specialist to talk about work load mangement.. im sure mangement will do what ever is best for team INDIA..one more thing ,bumrah can not be a Kapil dev. He was a natural athelete , with body and action to support him.. infact we must appreciate and acknowledge bumrah’s resilience and hardwork , even after back stress fracture he has come back stronger .. experts were sceptical about his longivity. Kudos to him he has already completed 10 years at the highest level..