ENG vs IND 2025: Gautam Gambhir reveals plan for Jasprit Bumrah for remaining series
"I think for us to manage Bumrah's workload is more important because there's a lot of cricket going forward and we know what he brings to the table as well," Gambhir said.
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Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that there are no plans to alter Jasprit Bumrah’s workload during the ongoing Test series against England. This decision comes despite India’s five-wicket defeat in the opening Test at Headingley, Leeds.
Initially, it was expected that the right-arm pacer would feature in only three of the five matches in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series, given the need to manage his back issues. However, Gambhir stated that Bumrah will continue to be available for selection throughout the series unless circumstances demand otherwise.
"I think for us to manage Bumrah's workload is more important because there's a lot of cricket going forward and we know what he brings to the table as well," Gambhir said.
"So before he came on this tour, it was already decided that he's going to play three Test matches, but let's see how his body turns up. But we haven't decided which two other Test matches he's going to play," he added.
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Bumrah impressed in the first innings with a five-wicket haul but went wicketless in the second. Among the other seamers, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets each during England’s successful chase, while the rest of the bowling attack struggled to make a significant impact.
"This bowling attack has one bowler with five Tests under his belt, one has four, one has played two and one hasn't yet debuted. We will have to give them time. Earlier, we used to have four fast bowlers in the squad with an experience of more than 40 Tests. It doesn't make such a big impact in one-day or T20 matches, but when you go to Australia, England or South Africa for Tests, experience matters. These are early days,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir emphasised that judging bowlers after every Test match will not help in building a strong bowling unit. He acknowledged that while the current set of bowlers lacks experience, they possess the necessary quality. He added that with consistent backing, these bowlers can evolve and serve Indian cricket in the red-ball format for the long period.
"If we start judging our bowlers after every Test, how will we develop a bowling attack? Outside Bumrah and (Mohammad) Siraj, we don't have that much experience, but they have quality, which is why they are in this dressing room. But we have got to keep backing them because it's not about one tour. It's about building a fast-bowler battery that can serve India for a long time in Test cricket," Gambhir concluded.