Former England spinner Monty Panesar has suggested that India should consider resting pace ace Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming second Test at Edgbaston, stating that the conditions there could favour a different bowling combination.
“India should consider giving him a break, as the team’s attack will be better suited to the conditions at Edgbaston. Making this strategic choice could enhance their performance on that crucial pitch!” Panesar told media.
Despite India’s loss at Headingley, Bumrah stood out with a five-wicket haul (5/83) in the first innings, although he went wicketless in the second, as England completed a historic 371-run chase, their second-highest in Test cricket.
Bumrah remains the most potent bowler in India’s armoury, with overall figures of 5/140 in 43.4 overs, compared to 9/482 in 92 overs by the rest of the attack—Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Prasidh Krishna.
Amid rumours of Bumrah missing the Edgbaston Test starting July 2, Panesar believes a rest could help both Bumrah and India.
However, head coach Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that Bumrah will play only three of the five Tests, dismissing fan calls to field him in the entire series. Gambhir stressed the importance of workload management, a stance supported by the BCCI.
In a recent training session, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep bowled long spells, with Arshdeep focusing on old-ball bowling and reverse swing—possibly a tactical shift India is considering given Edgbaston’s conditions. Arshdeep bowled from around the wicket to right-handers, potentially indicating India’s plan to exploit reverse swing.
India’s Test Squad vs England:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England’s Squad for 2nd Test:
Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
As India looks to level the series, all eyes will be on how they tweak their bowling plans—and whether Jasprit Bumrah will feature or rest.