Dinesh Karthik fires big ‘Jasprit Bumrah' caution to Team India after Headingley loss: ‘I doubt he would want to play…'

Hindustan Times

25-06-2025

Veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has cast doubts over Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the second Test against England. India head coach Gautam Gambhir has already made it clear that Bumrah will only be playing three Tests on the ongoing tour to manage the workload, but the management has not made a call on which two he will miss out. The last time Bumrah played all five Tests in a series in Australia, he got injured in the final match and had to miss the crucial Champions Trophy. Jasprit Bumrah picked a fifer in first innings but remained wicketless in second at Headingley.(AP)
Meanwhile, with India losing the opening Test in Leeds, Bumrah's role became more crucial as the Indian bowlers failed to put enough pressure on England in the second innings while defending a 371-run target.
Bumrah once again led India's bowling effort with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, but went wicketless in the second as England's batters adopted a more cautious and measured approach against him.
Karthik, who is commentating on the series, said Bumrah might not want to play the second Test at Edgbaston, where the pacers won't have much assistance from the surface.
'First of all, we need to see if Bumrah is playing. I doubt Bumrah would want to play at Edgbaston. I would think that he would wait. It is flat and it would give his body more time, he has bowled a lot of overs in this game," Karthik said while speaking on Cricbuzz. Also Read | Shubman Gill praised but branded 'helpless captain' with brutal attack on India pace trio: 'He led better than Stokes'
Meanwhile, Karthik bluntly said that the management will make the final call, but Bumrah would prefer playing at Lord's rather than Edgbaston.
'The more rest, the better for him. I think he would love playing at Lord's, but it is not about what he wants, but what the team feels he has to do as well," Karthik added. 'India can't think what England will do': Karthik
The veteran wicketkeeper is keeping a close eye on this series and suggested that India can't make their plans similar to England, who play with an ultra-attacking batting approach.
'Everything about England tells you that you don't need to play more than one spinner. If you are playing two spinners, then that genuinely weakens your batting. They need to be very sure of one thing: they can't think what England will do," Karthik said. Also Read | 'I'm sorry, Shardul Thakur has to go out': Shubman Gill, Gambhir ordered to use 'common sense' like Ben Stokes
The 40-year-old said that England rely heavily on the batters and back themselves to chase big targets in the fourth innings.
'What England are doing is very simple, they have picked even if it is an ordinary bowling and are saying you give us whatever you want to chase, we will back ourselves to do it," Karthik added.