What Happens to Team India if Jasprit Bumrah Misses the 2nd Test Against England? The first Test isn’t even over yet, but there’s already a nervous flutter in every Indian fan’s heart — a fear called Birmingham.
The team management has already dropped a spoiler: “Bumrah won’t play all 5 Tests.” And if we assume that the Lord’s Test — the third in the series — is a non-negotiable for him to play, then India might have to go without its most lethal weapon in the second Test at Birmingham.
But if that happens, who’s going to steady the ship in the bowling department? Spoiler: This Titanic doesn’t have enough lifeboats. Here’s why we’re concerned. India barely scraped a 6-run first-innings lead in Leeds — and that too only because of Bumrah’s 5-wicket haul. But what about the rest of the bowlers? Honestly, there was zero support from the other end. It felt like watching a superhero movie where only one Avenger showed up — and the rest were stuck in traffic.
You might argue that Prasidh Krishna picked up 3 wickets. But at what cost? Sure, he dismissed big names like Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith. But he also gave away 128 runs in just 20 overs. And guess what? His economy rate of 6.4 is now the worst ever by an Indian bowler in a spell of 20+ overs in Test history. The previous record? Held by Varun Aaron, who went at 5.91 in Adelaide, 2014.
Okay, let’s cut Prasidh some slack — early days and all that. But what was Mohammed Siraj doing? As the second-most experienced pacer in the squad, you'd expect him to at least look threatening. But at one point, it seemed like he was just on a sightseeing tour of Headingley. He eventually got 2 wickets, but when Bumrah needed backup, Siraj was nowhere to be found. And then there's Shardul Thakur, who might as well have skipped this Test. When all hope seemed lost, apart from Bumrah, Shubman Gill suddenly remembered that Thakur can bowl too.
But he bowled just 6 overs and gave away 38 runs.
The saddest part? A left-arm quick like Arshdeep Singh was warming the bench — not just warming it, probably sipping tea, wondering, “Who exactly did I send my County Cricket resume to?”
Wait a minute — is this the same Arshdeep who picked 13 wickets in 5 Division 1 matches for Kent last year? YES. THAT Arshdeep. The one who swings the ball like it’s connected to a boomerang app.
So now you tell us — if Bumrah doesn’t play the second Test, what happens to this fragile Indian pace attack? Is it finally time for Arshdeep to make his Test debut? Because let’s be honest — if Bumrah sits out, this bowling unit might need both Arshdeep… and some divine intervention.
