"I would expect him to play all the Test matches" - Former bowling coach's massive claim on Jasprit Bumrah ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has backed Jasprit Bumrah to play the entire five-match Test series in England, which begins on June 20. He added that Bumrah’s fast bowling partners must support him throughout the series for that to happen. The remarks came after Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir claimed that Bumrah might only play in three out of the five Tests.
It's worth mentioning that Bumrah got injured (back spasm) during the fifth Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The speedster didn’t bowl in the second innings against Australia but emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the series with 32 scalps.
Bharat Arun said (via ANI):
“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 the 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 first three Test matches, 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,” he added.
Apart from Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh have been included among front-line seamers for the England tour.
“Practice sessions can be toned down for him” – Bharat Arun explains how Jasprit Bumrah could play all five Tests in England
Bharat Arun said that practice sessions need to be toned down for Jasprit Bumrah to allow him time to recover from his workload. The 62-year-old opined in the same interaction:
“They [possibly hinting at the conditions] 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."
“So, handling him will be very crucial. And as you rightly mentioned, Bumrah's presence in the team adds a huge value. Not only does he does well, he also rallies the other bowlers,” he added.
With 205 scalps in 45 Tests, Jasprit Bumrah holds the key to India's success in England.
India's Test squad for England series: 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.