Will Jasprit Bumrah Play Second Test vs England? Latest Report On Pacer Adds New Twist
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah returned to the nets on Saturday during the optional training session ahead of the second Test against England at Birmingham, bowling for at least half an hour. However, a final call on Bumrah's participation during the second Test is yet to be taken, as per ESPNCricinfo. Before the series, team management had made it clear that the superstar bowler will feature in only three out of five matches, with skipper Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir staying tight-lipped about which matches he will play.
The final call will be taken on how good Bumrah feels about his body going into the Test. During his net session, he went full tilt after not bowling on Friday.
Everyone turned up for the practice session except for India's centurions from the first Test at Leeds, skipper Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
During the nets session, the main focus was giving a lot of batting practice to bowlers as during the Leeds Test, India faced collapses in both innings, losing their last seven wickets for 41 runs in the first innings and last six wickets for 31 in the second innings. This proved to be a massive factor in their five-wicket loss as England successfully chased down 371 runs. Over the last two tours in England, India's last four partnerships have averaged 19.11 in 2021 and 16.35 in 2018. India will be now aiming to get better contributions from their lower order at Birmingham.
Now, India will be having a day off on Sunday before returning for another training session on Monday. On the day before the match, they will take things easy and most likely, batters seeking some throwdowns will turn up. Pacers who are likely to play in Wednesday are likely to get a Tuesday off from practice.
India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
30 minutes ago
- India.com
Rishabh Pant Turned Off Phone, Deleted WhatsApp: Indias Star Batter Punished Himself For Stupid, Stupid Act Before Epic Test Comeback
Rishabh Pant roared back to form in sensational fashion with back-to-back centuries in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter smashed 118 and 104 across two innings, single-handedly carrying India's fight with the bat. Despite his heroics, India lost the match by five wickets, giving England a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Still, Pant's aggressive stroke play and resilience under pressure were among the few positives for India from the loss. From Australia Failure to England Fireworks Pant's resurgence comes after a disappointing run in the earlier Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025 in Australia. Over five Tests, the left-hander managed just 255 runs at a poor average of 28.33 — a far cry from his usual standards. His innings were dotted with uncharacteristic misjudgments, with the most talked-about moment being his ill-timed ramp shot during the Melbourne Test that led to his dismissal. The shot triggered sharp criticism from Sunil Gavaskar in the commentary box, whose 'Stupid, stupid, stupid' reaction went viral on social media. It was a turning point for Pant, who took the harsh words to heart and chose a path of complete introspection and self-discipline. Extreme Measures After Melbourne Debacle According to reports, Pant responded to the Melbourne criticism by drastically altering his routine. He uninstalled WhatsApp and switched off his mobile phone to avoid distractions and channel his focus solely on improving his game. India's former strength and conditioning coach Sohum Desai revealed to Times of India that Pant immersed himself in intense training. 'He did the most intense sessions day in and day out. He dragged me into the gym whenever he was free. He didn't care about fatigue or work-loaded programmes. All he said was he needed to keep working on himself.' Desai further noted Pant's physical resilience: 'Pant has so much reserve that he will be fine for at least a year without having to do anything extraordinary. That's why you see him moving around so well despite scoring two hundreds and keeping wickets for so long in the Headingley Test.' India's Spark Amid Defeat Pant's turnaround not only showed his mental toughness but also served as a reminder of his value to the Indian Test team. With centuries in both innings, he became only the second Indian wicketkeeper to achieve the feat in a single Test and the first to do so in an overseas match. Even though India ended up on the losing side, Pant's form will be a key factor as the series progresses.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
From Virat Kohli's Final Knock To Hardik Pandya's Clutch: 10 Slides That Prove Why India Were Destined To Win The T20 World Cup 2024
photoDetails english 2923864 Updated:Jun 29, 2025, 01:48 PM IST Rohit Sharma – The Captain's Charge 1 / 10 Rohit led from the front with explosive batting and fearless intent, scoring 257 runs, setting the tone for India throughout the tournament. Arshdeep Singh – Highest Wicket Taker 2 / 10 Arshdeep Singh took 17 Wickets – India's top wicket-taker, deadly in the powerplay and at the death. Jasprit Bumrah – Delivered In Under Pressure 3 / 10 Jasprit Bumrah took 15 Wickets and delivered under pressure with surgical precision in crunch moments. Hardik Pandya – The Ultimate All-Rounder 4 / 10 Hardik was crucial with both bat and ball, scoring 144 runs and taking 11 wickets. His finishing touches and tight bowling provided perfect balance to the squad. Virat Kohli – The Big Match Player 5 / 10 Player of the Match in the Final – Kohli silenced critics with a vintage knock when it mattered most. A masterclass innings of 76 runs under pressure. SKY & Pant – X-Factors in the Line-up 6 / 10 Suryakumar Yadav: 199 Runs & a clutch catch in the final. Rishabh Pant: 171 Runs & 14 Dismissals – A game-changer with the bat and behind the stumps. Shivam Dube – The Power Finisher 7 / 10 Dube flexed his muscles in key games, providing firepower in the lower middle order with 133 runs with clean, fearless hitting. Axar Patel – Mr. Dependable 8 / 10 Axar Patel scored 92 runs & took 9 wickets. Consistent and calm under pressure, Axar stepped up in both departments whenever called upon. Kuldeep Yadav – The Spin Wizard 9 / 10 Kuldeep spun a web around opponents and picked 10 wickets, breaking partnerships and keeping the middle overs tight. Champions Through Teamwork 10 / 10 Every player had a role. Every role was fulfilled. India lifted the T20 World Cup through passion, planning, and performance. Congratulations, Team India.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Kabaddi goes global: A new league draws up an international playbook with Olympic goals—but can it last?
Mumbai: Kabaddi's global leap is getting a new push, and this time it's not from a broadcaster or a federation but from an entrepreneur betting on scale, structure, and sports entertainment. Sambhav Jain, founder of SJ Uplift Kabaddi Pvt. Ltd, is preparing to launch the World Super Kabaddi League (WSKL) in February-March in Dubai. The franchise-based league is backed by the International Kabaddi Federation and more than 20 national federations, and has ambitions of pushing kabaddi towards Olympic recognition. 'Getting kabaddi into the Olympics requires at least 40 to 50 active participating nations. We are starting with 30 countries already engaged and building from there," Jain told Mint. The league has secured commercial rights from the South Asian Kabaddi Federation and plans to structure WSKL not as a seasonal tournament but as a year-round league with academies, international talent scouting, and regional fan engagement. This isn't the first time kabaddi has been dressed in modern formats and thrust on a bigger stage. But the question remains: Can a sport rooted in rural India sustain global attention beyond an opening-week buzz? WSKL believes its differentiator is its player composition and location strategy. Unlike the Pro Kabaddi League, where 90% of the roster is Indian, WSKL is flipping the ratio, with 60-70% foreign players and 30-40% Indian athletes in its first season. Over the next 2-3 years, Jain plans to lower Indian representation in WSKL to about 20% to make room for global talent. The league will operate with eight franchises and a total player purse of ₹48 crore, fully funded by the franchise owners. Negotiations are underway with owners from the US, Canada, and South Korea. 'We are targeting sports investors who understand risk, return and fan-building, not just short-term exposure," Jain said. Before going global, Jain tested the waters with the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League—a regional, franchise-based league launched by his company 1X Sportz in partnership with the UP Kabaddi Association. The inaugural season last year featured eight teams and combined grassroots scouting with a professional auction format. The Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League drew encouraging early traction, including broadcast deals and brand partnerships, which Jain calls the 'proof of concept" for his bigger ambitions. 'UPKL gave us the operational playbook and showed there's appetite for kabaddi as structured IP (intellectual property)," he said. WSKL's real test WSKL franchisees will be offered a central revenue share via media rights, sponsorships, and merchandise, with a projected return on investments in 2-3 seasons. Dubai was chosen as the host city because of its strategic visibility and access to diaspora audiences, Jain said, adding that talks are ongoing with broadcasters in India and overseas. A non-exclusive, multi-region syndication strategy is on the cards, he said. Confirmed participating nations include Iran, South Korea, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, and the US. Jain is financing the venture himself and has no immediate plans to dilute equity or raise funds. 'We have seen what happens when leagues get bloated too early. We are staying lean, focused, and structured for sustainability," he said. Still, the sports entertainment market is littered with cautionary tales. From the Pro Volleyball League's legal tussles to the Indian Super League's uneven football franchise economics and table tennis struggling for consistent traction, non-cricket leagues in India have had mixed fates. Jain believes WSKL is learning from those failures. 'We are not copying the IPL (the popular Indian Premier League 20-over-a-side cricket format)," he said. 'We are adapting its best practices but keeping kabaddi's cultural and commercial reality in mind. You can't build a global league with just flash—you need foundation." Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company ACG Group, too, plans to avoid the IPL format for its recently announced professional basketball league. GMR Sports—which owns the UP Yoddhas team in the Pro Kabaddi League, the Telugu Yoddhas team in Ultimate Kho Kho, and a 50% stake in the Delhi Capitals IPL team—is preparing to launch the Rugby Premier League. The World Super Kabaddi League hopes to build credibility through institutional alignment. 'We are officially sanctioned by IKF and have 20 federations onboard, which gives us legitimacy. But now it's about execution," he added. For all its ambition, WSKL's real test will be fan retention, franchise patience, and its ability to turn kabaddi into a 12-month commercial asset. The format may be ready, but the world and the market will need convincing.
