On the eve of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which is set to start from July 2 at Edgbaston, India skipper Shubman Gill spoke to the media and laid to rest the biggest question hanging over the team — Jasprit Bumrah's availability.
Bumrah, who had fallen victim to a stress fracture in his back in the last match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy — one in which he had taken apart the Australian batting order — was initially set to sit out two of the five matches in the ongoing series as part of workload management. That fact was previously confirmed by both Gautam Gambhir and Gill.
With India 0-1 down in the series following a five-wicket loss at Headingley, Bumrah's availability becomes more imperative. Allaying much-needed clarity, Gill had stated at the pre-match press conference, "Jasprit Bumrah is available. We are trying to get the right combination that can pick 20 wickets and also score runs. Will take the final call after seeing the wicket for the last time today."
The young captain recognized the problem of not having a player of the quality of Bumrah in the XI but asserted confidence in the strength of the overall squad.
"It is tough, but ultimately our team has the best players in India. It is tough but not impossible. The rest of the players are playing for the nation on the basis of their performances. Fortunately, we have a huge pool full of talent, that's why we are in a position to compete abroad," said Gill.
India's issues in the first Test were added to by fielding errors, especially in the slip cordon. Even with a record performance with the bat — becoming the first team in history to lose a Test despite registering five centuries in two innings — dropped catches ended up being too expensive.
Referring to the slip-catching problems, Gill cited the specific challenges presented by English conditions. "The ball does swing behind the wicket, and at times it becomes tough to sight the ball behind the wicket. At the end of the day, we do know of the issues, but we have practised a lot. It is a one-off game where you miss five-seven catches, and hopefully it does not repeat again," he said.
With the series hanging in the balance and the major players now back in contention, everyone will wait to see if India can recover and equal the series at Edgbaston.
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