India’s speed king Jasprit Bumrah was a shock miss from India’s playing XI for the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston. His non-selection raised eyebrows around cricket circles, particularly after his record-breaking five-wicket haul in the first innings of the series opener at Headingley. So why did India rest their most on-song fast bowler for such an important match?
Even though Team India’s skipper Shubman Gill stated “Jasprit Bumrah is playing just to manage his workload. With the 3rd Test at Lord’s, where we expect more from the pitch, we’ll use him there. We were tempted to play Kuldeep, but chose to add depth to the batting”.
Apart from this, few reasonable factors might have led to this decision. Listed below are three reasons for Bumrah’s absence:
Ravi Shastri can't believe Jasprit Bumrah is being rested at Edgbaston 👀 pic.twitter.com/y7C5nLYcX3
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Workload Management
Bumrah is recovering from a heavy workload, he played the entire IPL 2025 season and then was right back in action in the first Test against England. With his past history of back injuries and the stress of fast bowling, the Indian team management and the medical team might have taken the precaution of resting him.
With three Tests still left in the series and the third Test at Lord’s, a ground Bumrah allegedly likes, it’s probable India wished to handle his workload judiciously to maintain him rejuvenated for the greater skirmishes that lay ahead.
Tactical Rotation in a Long Series
With a series of five matches hanging in the balance, rotation is now an integral aspect of contemporary Test cricket. Teams such as India, boasting a deep pool of fast bowlers, tend to rotate their pace attack to maintain it fresh and potent for all matches.
By resting Bumrah for the second Test, the team might have hoped to try out different bowling combinations, give others such as Akash Deep or Arshdeep Singh an opportunity, and keep things interesting in conditions that might not have hugely suited express pace.
Pitch and Conditions at Edgbaston
The Edgbaston pitch has tended to help swing and seam action at first but also tends to deaden itself with the passage of the match. The management may have thought that conditions didn’t need a high-impact bowler like Bumrah and chose bowlers who could bowl tight lines and constrain economy, which has been one of India’s main weaknesses in recent Tests.
Bumrah is an attacking strike bowler who feeds on negating, and though he has a great record in any conditions, team balance might have taken precedence over unadulterated individual brilliance.
