India’s plans for the second Test against England at Edgbaston have sparked plenty of debate and one name that continues to dominate the conversation is ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
The seasoned pacer played in the first Test at Headingley, where he bagged a five-wicket haul in the first innings but remained wicketless in the second as England cruised to a win.
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Following the loss, there were speculations over Bumrah's availability in Birmingham as the team management had earlier claimed that he would only play in three out of the five matches in the series.
As India trail 0-1, questions are being raised on whether the team can afford to rest Bumrah in Birmingham or if they’ll risk using him early despite a limited workload plan.
Is Bumrah fully fit for the second Test?
Speaking to the media ahead of the Edgbaston Test, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that Bumrah is indeed fit and available. However, he made it clear that availability doesn’t mean an automatic place in the final XI.
"Yeah, 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 obviously had eight days to recover from the last Test," said Doeschate.
"But given conditions and 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. But we haven't made a decision on whether he's going to play or not yet," he added.
While Bumrah did shine with 5 wickets in the first innings at Leeds, India still ended up on the losing side.
Check: IND vs ENG 2nd Test: What is India's record in Tests at Edgbaston, Birmingham?
When will the final decision be taken?
As things stand, the team hasn’t ruled him in or out. Doeschate said that the decision will depend on a few things, like how the pitch is expected to behave and how they plan to manage Bumrah’s workload across the rest of the series.
It will be decided at the last moment whether to use Bumrah in this match or save him for later Tests like the ones at Lord’s, Manchester, or The Oval.
"With Bumrah, he is ready to play. So, like I said in the very first question, it's how we manage these four tests. So if we feel like there's value in playing him in this Test, we'll make that call at the very last minute,"
"But I'm talking about whether, how the pitch is going to play. Are we better off holding him back for Lord's and maybe Manchester or the Oval? So it's all those factors," he said.
MORE: India's last Test series in England: What happened and who were the players?
Bumrah returned to the nets on Saturday during the optional training session, "But you've seen him train yesterday. He trained a little bit today. It's not like he's not fit to play. It's just trying to fit those puzzle pieces to get the most out of him, out of what we know we do have from him," he added.