After rollicking the West Indies with a heavy defeat, Team India enters the national capital with oomph and confidence. Any nerves that were there after a horrific New Zealand Test series loss went out of the park from thr performance that India put up in the first Test in Ahmedabad. The superb winning by an innings and 140 runs came without Jasprit Bumrah taking any wickets in the second innings.
Talking about Bumrah, there’s a situation India find themselves in. With a packed cricketing schedule ahead, should India play Bumrah in the second Test is a matter of debate. The Gujarat-born star is a national treasure, as Virat Kohli put it after India’s much-awaited triumph at the T20 World Cup 2024. Bumrah is, hands down, the greatest pacer of this generation, having an unearthly ability to change the game on its head.
Yes, Bumrah didn’t have a great Asia Cup 2025, but he made a superb comeback with a special performance in the first innings of the West Indies Test match. He came up with his iconic unplayable yorkers to stun the opposition batters. All this when there was an air that Bumrah shouldn’t be playing this Test series. However, the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar when announcing the squad, mentioned that Bumrah is very much keen to play all the Test series and is available for both the games.
The Jasprit Bumrah workload question
Now, the debate was on. Firstly, fans questioned the need of having Bumrah in the series since the turnaround between the Asia Cup final and the first Test was of just three days. Yet, Bumrah decided to turn up and play his favourite format of the game. However, now, it may not be a straightforward decision for him to play the second Test match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi as well. The Test match that starts on October 10 should be a match where Bumrah should take a call by looking at his body and how he’s feeling.
Back in England, Bumrah played three out of five Tests, clearly telling fans that his body isn’t ready to take the load of such a tiresome series that continued for almost 45 days. As Mohammed Siraj mentioned, had Bumrah took a risk to play the last Test match at the Oval, his body could’ve broken and he might have not been able to bowl again. That’s because Bumrah put his body on the line at the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia earlier this year.
Not part of IND vs AUS ODIs, so…..
But as far as the West Indies’ Tests are concerned, the decision is for Bumrah’s to make. However, the selection panel has made it easier for him by resting him for the Australia ODIs that starts just a few days after the Delhi Test. Bumrah is not part of the 50-over series, with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna available. Hence, Bumrah has the luxury to play the second Test against the Caribbean outfit.Also
Also, the first Test ended two days early, giving him a total of 5 days to rest his body. So, if Bumrah decides to turn up in New Delhi, he is likely to be fit enough to bowl at full throttle. Also, with Delhi being a black soil pitch, Bumrah might not be needed to bowl a whole lot of overs too. Spinners’ role is expected to be massive there.
Moreover, there would be no competitive matches for Bumrah to take part in till October 19, date of the first India vs Australia T20I. Taking all this in consideration, India should not be looking to rest Bumrah for the second Test. If at all, it would be wise for them not to include Siraj for that game since he’ll be playing the ODI series that is right after the Tests.
