“You keep those cards close to your chest" - England legend slams Team India's decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test 

Former England pacer Stuart Broad questioned Team India's approach to publicize Jasprit Bumrah's workload management, and eventually resting him for the crucial second Test against England. The ace pacer was not included in the playing XI for the clash at Edgbaston, Birmingham, despite the Men in Blue lagging 0-1 behind in the five-match series.

Team India declared well before the series that Jasprit Bumrah would be available to play in only three Tests, coming on the back of a hectic 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), and a back injury prior to that. The spearhead had played all five Tests in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series, bowling 150 overs in the process, before sustaining an injury in the final Test in Sydney.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and captain Shubman Gill were all on the same page, asserting that the ace pacer will only play the designated number of matches, irrespective of how the series in England pans out. The fact that the second Test was staged at the batting-friendly Edgbaston, and only a three-day gap for the third Test at Lord's, meant that a huge decision had to be made since he could not feature in both matches.

India went for the bold route, resting their best bowler with a 0-1 deficit still looming over their heads. Stuart Broad opined that Bumrah had plenty of time to recover, and expressed his surprise at India being highly vocal about the workload management plans.

“A week is a very good time off for a fast bowler. “[Bumrah's omission] does surprise me and what also surprised me was him saying before the series he will only play three of the five Tests. You keep those cards close to your chest and play each week as it comes. They will definitely want Bumrah at Lord’s because of the movement you can get through the air," Broad said on Sky Sports on Day 1 of the second Test (via Hindustan Times).

Team India have revamped their bowling unit for the second Test, bringing in Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, to raise the bowling options to six, while Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur sat out.

"It is to manage his workload" - Team India captain Shubman Gill on Jasprit Bumrah's exclusion for ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Ahead of the second Test, both assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and captain Shubman Gill had declared Jasprit Bumrah fit and available for the second Test. However, his name was missing from the team sheet as the management took the gamble to save him for the third Test at Lord's.

"It is to manage his workload. It is an important test match for us but we think that the third test match is at Lord's where there might be more on offer," Gill said at the toss after being put into bat first.

So far, there has not been much on offer for bowlers, especially after the cloud cover has parted midway through the first session. At the time of writing, India are placed at 117-2 in the 32nd over, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill sharing the crease.