Shubman Gill is all set to make his Test captaincy debut on June 20 when India take on England in Leeds. India have come to England with many fresh faces as the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have called it a day. When it comes to the bowling department, the focus will be on our lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah is not expected to play all five Tests due to his workload but remains a threat for the hosts.

Meanwhile, a former England star has warned Ben Stokes’ men about the threat posed by Bumrah. Steve Harmison, a former pacer for the national side, feels that if Bumrah plays four Tests, he could recreate the havoc caused by Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada in the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s that ended on June 14 between Australia and South Africa.

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“I look at the two bowling units and I think that's where this series is going to be won. If Jasprit Bumrah plays four Test matches, then he can do what we've just seen Kagiso Rabada and Pat Cummins do at Lord's and in England's overhead conditions. Obviously, Jasprit Bumrah is probably just ahead of those two in the pecking order of, in my opinion, the three best bowlers in the world,” Harmison told IANS in an interview organised by talkSPORT.

“If Jasprit does what Pat and Kagiso Rabada did, then it's going to be tough for England because I don't see England having that sort of standout world-class bowler. They've got some inexperience in their attack and five Test matches in six and a half weeks - it's going to be a long toil for both teams,” he added.

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“It's easy to say now that you're only going to play three games, and then all of a sudden you're trying to manage him. I think there is a little bit of time between the first and second Test matches, so I don't see there being too much of an issue with that. If he plays in the first two test matches and then has to miss one, like either the third or fourth one, I can guarantee that if the series is on the line, he will play the fifth one. So, when they say he's going to play three, I think that's good for the series. It wouldn't surprise me if he plays four and possibly misses the third or fourth Test match,” he continued.

But with the time in between the first and second Test matches, if I was India, I'd be making sure, yes, he's definitely playing in Headingley. That's a given - he has to play there. Then for me, he has to play at Lord's because the way he bowls, he can be utilising the slope, like how Cummins and Rabada did. If you get some cloud cover in an afternoon in England, there'll be nobody more dangerous than Jasprit Bumrah, just like what the two bowlers from South Africa and Australia were,” he went on to say.

Bumrah was India’s only bright spot in the series Down Under which we lost 3-1. He finished with 32 wickets and was virtually unplayable. Fans will hope for a repeat in England and this time India will want to do better. It’s been 18 years since they won a Test series in England and it is long overdue for both the players and supporters.

India had a good chance to win the series in 2021 when they had a 2-1 lead but the fifth Test was suspended due to COVID. The match was played in 2022 and England won it to draw the series. So the wait continues. Will Gill join the likes of Ajit Wadekar, Kapil Dev and Rahul Dravid? For that to happen, Bumrah shall have to play an important role.