What is India's best way forward with Jasprit Bumrah in England?

Team India is set to step into the next WTC Cycle after a disappointing conclusion to the last season. But the 'team' here carries a significantly different combination than the group that played the last WTC Cycle. Ravichandran Ashwin retired during the BGT last year, as one of the most experienced picks of the Indian Test team departed. A bigger shock followed months later as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements in May this year. Now, the newly-minted Indian Test team is under the leadership of Shubman Gill, who will mark his captaincy debut in the India vs England series. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah remains an experienced prospect, a rarity in the India squad for the England tour.

Jasprit Bumrah and his limited unavailabity in the five-match India vs England Test series 

Jasprit Bumrah, along with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, is now poised as a senior in the Indian Test squad. However, it's not just his experience that is the most crucial advantage for India in the upcoming series against England. With his lethal pace, Jasprit Bumrah is undoubtedly India's main match-winner. The speedster emerged as the star of the show for India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy down under. Though India lost the series 1-3, Bumrah was adjudged the Player of the Series for his unmatched skill show, scalping 36 wickets, the most in the BGT.

However, Bumrah's participation comes with a risk. The speedster, with his unique action, has a history of back injuries. The injury threat increases with his workload, with the recent BGT being the latest example. The seamer pushed his body to play all five matches in Australia. While Bumrah kept up the sharpness in his bowling, his back gave up by the last Test. Bumrah had to be sent for scans midway through the Sydney Test as the speedster conveyed that he couldn't take any further load. Subsequently, what was first reported as a back spasm evolved into another serious injury that kept Bumrah out of the ICC Champions Trophy.

Now fit and back in action, Bumrah and the management have identified the crucial need to preserve his fitness to ensure his longevity. As a result, Ajit Agarkar, the chief of the selection panel with the BCCI, confirmed that Bumrah won't play all five Test matches in England. With a need to manage Bumrah's workload, it was informed that the speedster would play three India vs England Tests at best. Meanwhile, this was supposedly the exact reason why Shubman Gill eclipsed Bumrah in the race to become India's Test captain.

Nonetheless, India now needs to plan Bumrah's participation strategically to reap the best outcomes in his limited availability. Bumrah could play three matches out of the five in the schedule for the England Tour. While the young Indian squad looks promising, it goes without saying that Bumrah is the X-factor in the India squad. Meanwhile, as the visitors gear up to kick off the series in Headingley on June 20, they have received an interesting piece of advice for managing Bumrah in England.

Brad Hogg suggests the way to manage Bumrah on the England Tour

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg proposed a bold strategy involving Bumrah, one he believes could rattle the English side. In a recent interaction, Hogg suggested that India's team management, now under the leadership of head coach Gautam Gambhir, should think tactically about deploying Bumrah. Given his game-changing potential, Hogg recommended keeping the pace spearhead out of the series opener in Leeds on June 20.

Meanwhile, Hogg suggested instead unleashing the seamer at Edgbaston and Lord's for the second and third India vs England Tests respectively. According to Hogg, omitting Bumrah at Headingley could serve a dual purpose, managing his workload while simultaneously creating psychological pressure on England. Hogg explained that England would be stuck in anticipation of Bumrah's supposed participation and India could bank on the uncertainty.

"You've got to be very strategic with those three Test matches," Hogg said. "Where are you going to get the most benefit out of him? Because he can turn the game, he can turn the series on its head. So you want to make sure that you play him at Lord's, definitely, and probably Warwickshire."

"I probably wouldn't even play him in the first Test match, actually. I'd just go, 'Right, England, we don't have Bumrah.' And you could just see England thinking, 'Oh, they don't have Bumrah, that's good, we don't have to face him.' But then they're going to start worrying about him in the second Test match. And if he turns the tide in the second match, then all of a sudden England are playing catch-up. So I'd add a bit of by-play there," Hogg added.