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"Haven't Decided...": Gambhir On Bumrah's Workload Management During England Tour

Abhinav Tyagi

Gambhir speaking about Jasprit Bumrah - (Source :@Johns/X.com)Gambhir speaking about Jasprit Bumrah - (Source :@Johns/X.com)

On Thursday, June 5, India's new Test captain Shubman Gill and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir held a press conference before flying to England for the upcoming five-match Test series starting on June 20. The upcoming tour marks India's first series under the new WTC cycle and also a new era under Shubman Gill's leadership.

Gambhir Addresses Bumrah's Workload Issue

During the presser, Gautam Gambhir shed light on the availability of Jasprit Bumrah and confirmed that the India spearhead won't play all five-Test matches. The MI seamer suffered a back injury during the 5th Test vs Australia and had to miss out from Champions Trophy. Thus, the management isn't looking to take further risks and they will manage Bumrah's workload in the coming tour.

Meanwhile, the reporter questioned Gambhir regarding the games Jasprit will be a part of. In reply, the India head coach remarked that the decision will be taken depending on what the results are and where the series stands.

 "We haven't decided which three tests Bumrah will play, it depends on results and where the series is standing," remarked Gambhir during the presser.

Gambhir Reaffirms Agarkar's Statements

Before Gambhir, the rumours regarding Bumrah's unavailability were addressed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar during the squad announcement, where he confirmed that the right-arm seamer is most likely to play just three Tests against England. 

"I don’t think he will be available for all 5 tests as far as the physio and the doctors have told us. They will take a call on whether he will be available for 3-4 tests. If he is available for 3-4 tests, he is going to win us a few test matches...We are happy that he is a part of the squad," remarked Ajit Agarkar.

Further, Shubman Gill refused to drop any hint regarding the playing XI for the first Test in Leeds on June 20 as he stated that the Indian team will undergo a 10-day camp in London, which is where the decision on the playing XI will be taken. Nonetheless, Bumrah is most likely to feature in the first Test and the result in that game will play a key part in how the team utilises their best bowler for the rest of the series.