Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the second Test of the current five-match series between England and India was discussed by Indian red-ball captain Shubman Gill on the eve of the match. The competition will start on July 2 at Edgaston. 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.”
Shubman Gill
He also dismissed any worries about the legitimacy of any member of the team who played in the first Test, conceding that the present group of players was the best they could find.
“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.”
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill emphasized that rather than pre-meditating 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 go. We didn’t want to go into the series pre-deciding into that.”
Shubman Gill
India has lost seven of their eight Test matches played at Edgbaston, making it a dismal place for them to hunt down opponents. The goal of Gill & Co. is to level the series and make things better.
