India vs England: Jasprit Bumrah lays his conditions, BCCI looks at replacements

The BCCI is set to announce the India squad for the England Test series on Saturday, May 24, according to reports. Ahead of the final announcement, plenty of significant developments have come to the fore. Reportedly, Jasprit Bumrah, once in the running to become India's next Test captain, has now communicated to the board that he can't play the entire series. The India vs England Test series, which is scheduled to kick off the new WTC cycle from June 20, has five Tests in overseas conditions. Bumrah, meanwhile, has informed that his body can't bear the load of bowling across the five matches, and his participation could be limited to just three Tests in England.

Jasprit Bumrah informs the BCCI of his limited participation in the India vs England Test series

Jasprit Bumrah bowled extensively across the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. While India lost the series 3-1 Down Under, Bumrah was adjudged the Player of the Series for his splendid stint. The seamer scalped 32 wickets, the most in that BGT edition. However, the seamer's back took the toll of the strenuous workload, developing a back spasm by the Sydney Test. Bumrah left the last BGT midway to get his scans done, as his back remained sensitive following a surgery at the same spot. What was first termed just a 'spasm' grew into a serious injury that curbed Bumrah's chances to play the all-important ICC Champions Trophy.

Now, while Jasprit Bumrah has fully recovered and is currently playing IPL 2025, the seamer is not keen on risking any further injury concerns. Ahead of the India vs England Test series, Bumrah has informed the BCCI that he won't play all five matches, but only three. This is the same reason that topped the discussions when it came to Bumrah succeeding Rohit Sharma as India's next Test captain. The seamer's workload management put him behind in the race, as Shubman Gill is now touted as the frontrunner to grab the post.

"Jasprit Bumrah has already informed the board that his body can’t take the toll of more than three Test matches," the report claimed.

BCCI likely to call-up Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh to fill the gap, Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair hopeful for batting spots

With a gap to fill in the pace attack, the BCCI is looking to onboard young guns in the India squad. Mohammed Shami poses the same concern as Bumrah, uninterested in putting his body through the ordeal of bowling long spells. With the seniors expressing their concerns, the board has turned to Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj. Kamboj, who scalped all 10 wickets in a Ranji match last season, has been named in the India A squad for the England tour. If his performance impresses the board, the young Haryana pacer is likely to earn the call-up to the senior men's team.

“Shami is bowling four overs in IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but the board and selectors don’t know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers and we can’t take chances,” a source in the board informed.

In the batting order, the chatters are rampant about Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair leading the race for the call-up in the India squad. With the departure of Virat Kohli, the spot remains open. Meanwhile, Sudharsan and Nair have both been named in the India A squad. Sudharsan will join late along with Shubman Gill, as Gujarat Titans have qualified for the IPL 2025 playoffs. The call-up comes at the back of a significant stint by the Tamil Nadu and Vidarbha batters respectively in the last domestic season.