IND vs ENG Schedule | Series Stats | Squads
The 31-year-old’s involvement has been a topic of intense debate, as there was a prior agreement to include him in only three of the five Tests. Despite more than a week between the first Test in Leeds and the third at Lord’s, with the second at Edgbaston in Birmingham sandwiched between, the team’s management is considering holding Bumrah back for the moment.
Although India trail 1-0 in the series, they are taking their time before making a decision. Weather conditions could influence their plans, with forecasted light rain on Days 1, 4, and 5, and the pitch itself showing signs of dryness, potentially favouring India’s slower bowlers.
With these factors in mind, the team believes they possess enough options to either level the series or preserve the current scoreline without deploying Bumrah immediately, possibly saving him for Lord’s where the slope could enhance his effectiveness.
Team selection discussions are not solely focused on Bumrah. India are also contemplating fielding two spinners on a patchy, dry pitch — a combination that could see both Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar competing to partner Ravindra Jadeja. The final decision will weigh the need for attacking options against the desire for batting depth.
It’s no surprise that India are hesitant to reduce their batting strength, despite captain Shubman Gill’s bold pre-series statement expressing willingness to include four tail-enders in pursuit of 20 wickets.
Much of the selection debate centers on the all-rounder role, which could be a direct competition between Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored a century in the previous Test at Boxing Day last December.
During training, Nitish was actively involved in the slip cordon—alternating with Sai Sudharsan at fourth slip and gully—after Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped out following several missed catches in Headingley. Meanwhile, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, and Gill have retained their spots from Leeds.
Though ten Doeschate described these changes as efforts to build greater fielding depth, he strongly hinted that Nitish is increasingly staking a claim for a Test debut.
