Jasprit Bumrah likely to miss second Test against England; India look for replacement, new plan

Very early on this long tour, India have a crisis on their hands.

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After losing the Headingley Test, which they should have won, they are likely to be without their MVP for the next. It could be the call of Lord's or workload management; Jasprit Bumrah, after bowling 44 overs at Headingley, in all probability will sit out for the second Test at Edgbaston. He is expected to return for the third Test at the home of cricket in London on July 10. The Birmingham Test starts in about a week but that's too short a time, and their bowling department needs to get their act together. For starters, India's pacers need to be skilled and that takes time. So do discipline and strategy. After their justified two-day break, India need to hit the nets and keep getting into huddles - rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat until the Headingley memories are washed clean.

If India can't take 20 wickets with Bumrah, how can they do it without their chief wicket-taker? This is a question that the team management can keep asking themselves, and what bowlers they pick for Edgbaston will have to answer.Bumrah India's Jasprit Bumrah gestures to his teammate as he prepares to bowl his next delivery on day five of the first cricket test match between England and India at Headingley in Leeds, England, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)