Kolkata

Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun spoke on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's workload management during the England tour of five Test matches. He said that with good support from other bowlers and toned-down training sessions, he could be available to play all the matches on an all-important tour that marks a new era in Indian cricket.

The five-match Test series against England will kick off from June 20 at Leeds. Heading into the series, there are question marks over which Tests the superstar bowler will play. During India's last overseas assignment in Australia, Bumrah did play all five Tests, racking up a record-breaking 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, but he walked off from the field midway the final Test at Sydney, during which he was captaining, denting India's chances of securing a series draw and consequently, lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia by 1-3.

After missing first four games in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), Bumrah made a return against eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), taking 18 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.55 and becoming the heart of the franchise in their run till Qualifier two, where they lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS).

During the pre-departure presser ahead of the tour, head coach Gautam Gambhir said no call had been made about which matches he would play in the series.

"We have not taken that call, which three games is he going to play?" Gambhir said during a pre-departure press conference, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

"We are going to discuss with him, and depending on the series as well. A lot will depend on the results of the series, where the series is heading. That is something which I am sure he is very well aware of as well, and that is important," he added.

Speaking with Revsportz' Boria Majumdar, Arun said that too much bowling or too less of it, both can cause injury to a bowler.

"They are a perfect recipe for some bowler to get injured. So, obviously, we cannot control the number of overs that Jasprit Bumrah bowls in a match."

"But according to the number of overs he bowls in the match, the practice sessions can be toned down for him where he needs to be working on his recovery. It can be a strength training session in the gym or some recovery work with the physios."

"So, handling him will be very crucial. And as you rightly mentioned, Bumrah's presence in the team adds a huge value. Not only does he does well, he also rallies the other bowlers," continued the former bowling coach.

Arun also said that confidence in Bumrah adds a lot of value in the team.

"So, ideally, I would expect him to play all the Test matches. If there is very good support from the other bowlers, Bumrah can be preserved and play in all the five Test matches. If he is going to be bowling, taking a lot of the workload, then I am afraid he will not be ready for all the five Tests. So, how the other bowlers support him becomes very vital. So, we have got to take it as you go, rather than saying he is good for first three Test matches, then you need to give him a break. The other bowlers can help Bumrah play in all the Test matches if they are bowling really well," he concluded.

The Test squad includes Mohammed Siraj (100 wickets in 36 Tests), Prasidh Krishna (eight wickets in three Tests), Akash Deep (15 wickets in seven Tests), and Arshdeep Singh (uncapped) as the main fast bowlers. Also, Nitish Kumar Reddy (five wickets in five Tests) and Shardul Thakur (31 wickets in 11 Tests) have been picked as seam-bowling all-rounders. In a combined 62 Tests, they fail to outdo Bumrah's Test tally, having taken 159 scalps combined.

Bumrah has taken 205 scalps in 45 Tests at an average of 19.40, with best figures of 6/27 and 13 five-wicket-hauls.

The series will be held from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester. This will be India's first bilateral Test series since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier this month. The team is undergoing a transition, with Shubman Gill taking over as captain and R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli stepping away from the longest format.

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India's Test squad for England series:

Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.