IND vs ENG: Ben Stokes Breaks Silence on Jasprit Bumrah’s 2nd Test Mystery

India will play England in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Wednesday, July 2. But with just one day left, there is still no clarity on Jasprit Bumrah’s availability. Fans are waiting to know if India’s top pacer will play or not.

England captain Ben Stokes was asked about Bumrah in the pre-match press conference. He gave a short and strong answer. When asked about Bumrah possibly playing only three Tests in the series, Stokes replied:

“India’s problem to deal with.” He also said that the England team is not thinking about it at all.

India is 0-1 down in the five-match series after losing the first Test at Headingley. Many Indian fans want Bumrah to play in the second Test. They feel the team cannot afford to lose again and fall behind 0-2 in the series.

India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also gave an update. He said that Bumrah is available for selection, but the final decision is not yet made.

“He’s available for the game, obviously. We know from the start he’s only going to play three out of the five. He’s had eight days to recover from the last Test. But given conditions, workload, and how we think we can best manage for the next four games, we haven’t made a call on that. We’re going to see what the other guys are with their workload as well. So technically, yes, he’s available,” said ten Doeschate.

Even though he is available, many reports say that Bumrah will not play the second Test. Instead, he is expected to be rested for the Lord’s Test later in the series.

In his absence, the likely bowlers for the Edgbaston match are Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Washington Sundar. These four are expected to lead the bowling attack for India.

For now, the suspense continues. Bumrah has not been ruled out officially, but he may not play. The team management is focusing on managing his workload. The final call will be made before the toss.