Top 3 replacements for Jasprit Bumrah in next Test vs England

Indian cricket star Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the second Test match against England owing to workload management. Bumrah picked five wickets in the first innings of the opening Test match in Leeds but went wicketless in the second innings. The right-arm seamer had put the English batters in trouble during the course of the game and also got the key wicket of Joe Root in the first innings. 

Bumrah had already said that he would not play the entire series and this was one of the reasons why the pacer wasn’t considered for captaincy. Former Indian cricket coach Ravi Shastri, while speaking to Sky Sports, had said, “If Bumrah was looking at a rest, you may have to think twice. If you don't have him and then go 2-0 down, it could be an uphill task." 

Meanwhile, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir said, “I think for us, managing his workload is more important because there's a lot of cricket going forward, and we know what he brings to the table as well. So, before he came on the tour, it was already decided that he was going to play three Test matches. But let's see how his body turns out." 

Here are the top 3 replacements for Jasprit Bumrah for the next Test

3- Kuldeep Yadav

With the second Test taking place in Edgbaston, Kuldeep Yadav could force his way into the Indian team for Jasprit Bumrah. The 30-year-old has had a start-and-stop career in Test cricket so far but Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement could give Yadav a chance to solidify his spot in this format of the game as well. Edgbaston does tend to offer good turn and bounce for spinners in the final few days. England have traditionally struggled against wrist spin bowlers making Kuldeep Yadav a dangerous customer. 

2- Akash Deep

Medium-pace bowler Akash Deep has already played seven Tests for India, taking 15 wickets. The 28-year-old incidentally made his Test debut against England in early 2024 and took three wickets in the only innings he got to bowl. Akash got the wickets of Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Ollie Pope in that game. The right-arm seamer can bowl with good pace and clock close to 140 KPH with ease. Apart from this, Akash Deep is also more capable with the bat, as he can also defend the ball well and also give it a good whack. 

1. Arshdeep Singh

Jasprit Bumrah missing the game could be a huge chance for left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh to make his Test debut. The left-arm seamer could pose a huge challenge to the English batters with his natural ability to swing the ball both ways. Against the right-handed batter, Arshdeep tends to bring the ball in while taking the ball away from the left-handed batter. Arshdeep will also enjoy the conditions Edgbaston has to offer since cloud cover could be prevalent on all five days, making it favourable for the bowlers.