Bumrah’s Test Future: A Major Concern Regarding “Long Gaps”, Gambhir Faces Scrutiny. 

NEW DELHI, India – June 28, 2025: The long-term Test future of the Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is taking shape as a serious concern, with experts and fans alike questioning the effectiveness of current strategies of workload management wherein Bumrah often has to sit out owing to long gaps in between. All this while the Indian Head Coach Gautam Gambhir has come under scrutiny for having publicly stated that Bumrah would only play three out of the five Tests in the current series against England, possibly giving the opposition an edge. 

Under Workload management. 

For Bumrah, workload has been a huge issue, especially after his return from the long layoff due to a back injury. It is said that he would play no further part in the Edgbaston Test as a planned concession-break, even following his stellar performance in the first Test against England in Leeds in which he was bowled for 44 overs and bagged a five-for. This, the management decided, notwithstanding the fact that India is already down in the series 0-1, exemplifies its commitment to an injury-conscious regime for Bumrah. 

Public Declaration by Gambhir

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, even before the start of the series, had confirmed that Bumrah will only be a part of three Test matches. This public declaration has attracted criticism from some ex-players, including Aakash Chopra, who wondered why such vital information was not kept secret, allowing the opposing side to draw its plan accordingly. Gambhir, however, stays firm that managing Bumrah’s workload is his prime concern, considering the amount of cricket coming up. 

Impact of Gaps on Test Rhythm

Concerns are being raised about the long gaps affecting the rhythm and consistency of Bumrah in Test cricket. While breaks are necessary to guard against injuries, regular breaks would compromise a bowler’s capability to stay at his best during long series. In addition, this puts pressure on the relatively inexperienced Indian pace attack that did not do too well in the first Test without Bumrah, able like the only one giving the other end support by his consistent impact. 

Requiring Depth

His highest overs in Test cricket in 2024 (410.4 overs) indicate Bumrah’s over-reliance, showing that the major issue in Indian fast bowling is the lack of experience depth besides Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Experts like Aakash Chopra have strongly stressed the urgency to build the next generation of fast bowlers to offload the burden from key players like Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, who are on the verge of retirement from Test cricket. 

The Way Forward

Variable practical management of Bumrah’s career is vital with the busy international calendar including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the Champions Trophy. An equilibrium must be set by the team management, headed by Gambhir and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, between results from ongoing series and future endurance of their lead fast bowler, with the upcoming Tests throwing light on how India masters through this phase.

Reported by: Herohind News Desk