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The England tour will be a challenge from new Test captain Shubman Gill. He was named Rohit Sharma's successor as there are concerns over Jasprit Bumrah's fitness after a back injury he sustained in the last Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. While Bumrah is fit and raring to go, there have been calls that Bumrah shouldn't play all the games on the tour. Ahead of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, Gill was asked by former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik how many Tests Bumrah will play on the tour. Gill said it will depend on how many matches are affected by rain.
“Depending on how we go about matches, you know, there might be rain in one of the matches," Gill told Sky Sports‘ in an interview with Karthik.
“So I think it’s more based on match to match, and see how much workload there has been on him. And that’s what you’re trying to look at. You see how much workload he has had in this match. We don’t want to have a predetermined set: ‘Okay, these are the matches that he would want to play.’ Because there are, there are so many factors that can go or not go in your favor, that can determine whether he is going to play the next match or not," he added.
If Bumrah misses a game or two, Gill expects others to step up. Arshdeep Singh is yet to make his Test debut whereas Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep have a point to prove. Meanwhile, it is a chance for Mohammed Siraj to establish his dominance in pace-friendly conditions as well. Gill opened about his bond with Siraj and wants him to feel secure in the environment.
“With Siraj, we made our test debut together. We almost made our one-day debut together. He made one match prior to mine, and we played so many matches of India together. So, having that bond with him and knowing what he’s capable of, and like I said, keeping a secure environment and making the player feel secure in his abilities and his capabilities, I feel, is one of the most important things that a leader has to do. And having these kinds of relationships, I think, helps a lot," Gill added.
Siraj's record in England -
Siraj has played six Tests in England and taken 23 wickets at an average of 34. He is yet to take a five-wicket haul on England soil.
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