So, India’s cricket team got hit with more bad news after losing to England in the first Test in Leeds. Word is, Jasprit Bumrah will sit out the second Test, set to kick off on July 2. Sources at BCCI told NDTV this was the plan all along. Even before the team left for England, they said Bumrah would only play three of the five Tests to manage how much he plays. Remember, he was out for a while because of his back during the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Now, folks are wondering about Bumrah’s Test future since he’s skipping matches even with breaks in between. The first Test was June 20-24, and the second in Birmingham starts July 2 – that’s a week off. The third Test at Lord’s starts July 10, then it’s on to Manchester for the fourth on July 23, and the fifth starts July 31.

Aakash Chopra, an ex-India player, said on his YouTube channel, Jasprit Bumrah won’t be around. Maybe it’s official, who knows? He’s resting for the second match and will play the third. It’s strange since there’s a seven-day gap between matches, and he’s still not playing.

Then there’s a five-day Test and a three-day break. He’ll be back on July 10. This is a real worry. If he needs this much time off, Bumrah’s Test career could be a problem. Gautam Gambhir might be in a tough spot now. He once said, I don’t believe in managing how much players play. Makes things interesting, since he’s important to the team.

Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh are also fast bowlers on the team. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who’s a medium-pace all-rounder, could also be an option. It sounds like Arshdeep Singh, a left-arm pacer, will take Bumrah’s spot. But no one’s said for sure. Arshdeep hasn’t played any Tests, but he’s played ODIs and T20Is. In T20s, he’s got the most wickets for India, with 99 in 63 games.