IPL vs Team India: The Jasprit Bumrah Situation Ahead Of IND vs ENG Test Series Raises Concerns About The Future Of International Cricket

India tour of England: After the culmination of the eighteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Team India, led by young captain Shubman Gill, will travel to England for a five-match Test series. The IND vs ENG Test series holds great significance, considering the fact that Gill and Co. start India's World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 campaign. Whenever the 'Big Three', which includes the likes of India, England, and Australia, play Test matches against each other, it is no less than an ICC event and also gives these three nations bragging rights.

The Jasprit Bumrah Situation Reignites IPL vs Indian Cricket Debate

Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, on behalf of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), recently announced the Indian squad for the upcoming England tour. Shubman Gill's announcement as the skipper of the Indian team was on expected lines. But experienced red-ball campaigners such as Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul were snubbed, and Rishabh Pant was bestowed with the vice-captaincy duties of the Indian Test team.

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A particular section of the cricketing community still can't wrap its head around the fact that why wasn't Bumrah announced as the skipper of the Indian Test team, considering the fact that he led India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Rohit Sharma's absence. Yes, workload is something that needs to be managed, considering the fact that Jasprit Bumrah is a national treasure, but Ajit Agarkar claiming the fact that Bumrah might not play all five Test matches in England raises eyebrows. It is a no-brainer that Test matches are won courtesy of bowlers.

A team that has the capability of taking 20 odd wickets over two innings wins matches most of the time. Bumrah already joined the IPL late, as he was still recovering from an injury. By the time he reaches England, he won't even have fresh legs because he is still playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

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This raises a serious question on the team management and how the workload of a star player is being managed, who is expected to win India crucial games in England. Is IPL's importance more compared to Indian cricket? Why can't someone like Bumrah be given an ample amount of downtime to recover well and play all five Test matches in England? Nobody except the Indian team management will have an answer to it. If India loses Bumrah to workload, then it will be another big setback for the team on such an important tour.

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IND vs ENG: Tough Start To The Shubman Gill Era In Test Cricket

India will be fairly cautious this time around. Every Test match in the WTC cycle holds great significance. Gone are those days when teams used to force and play out draws just to avoid series losses. Points are calculated based on every win and loss, and hence a result becomes extremely important when a team eyes playing the WTC final. India's tour to England is not going to be an easy one, and Shubman Gill will have a herculean task ahead of him to lead the team in such difficult conditions.