Former India cricketer, Deep Dasgupta, has pointed out that, rather than focusing on the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, England’s fans and former players are more concerned about Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in the upcoming series, adding that his performance against Joe Root could play a key role in determining the result of the series.
India and England are set to compete in a five-match Test series, with the first match scheduled for Friday, June 20, in Leeds. Bumrah is included in India’s 18-member squad as one of five seam bowlers, with Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Akash Deep completing the lineup.
In a discussion on Star Sports, Dasgupta was questioned about whether the battle between Bumrah and Root might play a crucial role in determining the series’ result.
“There’s no doubt that Joe Root will play a crucial role in this series. The number of runs he scores will significantly impact how England performs. Of course, no one can match Jasprit Bumrah,” he said.
“The first question I was asked here was about how many Test matches Bumrah would play. No one mentioned anything about Virat or Rohit’s retirement. The first thing they asked, and I’m talking about the English people, is whether it’s true that Bumrah will only play three Tests,” Dasgupta explained.
“I told them that three matches was just a reference point, and that Bumrah could play all five if he stays fit, given the gaps between the games. As soon as they found out that Bumrah might play all five Tests, their smiles disappeared,” Dasgupta remarked.
Bumrah, who suffered a back injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Sydney, has raised doubts regarding his availability for the entire series. During the pre-departure press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir suggested that Bumrah may only play in three Tests, depending on his fitness.
