All is not well between Gautam Gambhir and Jasprit Bumrah? "He's quality, but..."

India National Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir has said that the pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is a 'quality player', but they have other talented players in the squad who can fill in his shoes.

Gautam Gambhir also revealed that they are yet to take a call on which three Test matches Jasprit Bumrah will be playing in the five-match series against the England National Cricket Team.

Jasprit Bumrah says NO to 5 Tests in the England Cricket Team

Bumrah is arguably the best bowler in the world at the moment, and he possesses the ability to turn the game on its head single-handedly.

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He looked the superior-most bowler in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, but at the end of the series, in the fifth Test, the workload took a toll on his body, and he broke down, resulting in him missing the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 for India due to a back injury.

However, he has now fully recovered and is ready to go for the England Test series. But this time around, he has decided to be extra careful and informed the BCCI selectors and team management that he won't play all five matches in England.

This development was confirmed by the chief selector Ajit Agarkar, as he said that the medical staff advised Bumrah not to play five back-to-back Test matches

We haven't taken that call, which three games is he going to play - Gautam Gambhir

Speaking at India's pre-departure press conference in Mumbai, head coach Gautam Gambhir said that they will take a call on when to unleash Bumrah, looking at the situation of the series in England.

"We haven't taken that call, which three games is he going to play. We are going to have a discussion with him and depending on the series as well. A lot will depend on the results of the series, where the series is heading. That is something which I am sure he is very well aware of as well and that is important," Gautam Gambhir said.

Gautam Gambhir further said that they have got enough quality in the Indian squad and won't miss Jasprit Bumrah too much, as even in his absence, India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Gautam Gambhir said:

"I have said it before during the Champions Trophy [which Bumrah missed and India won] as well, it will give someone the opportunity to put his hand up and we have got enough talent there. I know that he is quality but we have got enough quality apart from him as well in the squad."

I think we have picked enough bowlers - Shubman Gill

The newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill was on the same page with his head coach and said that they have enough bowlers in the squad who can be match-winners. He said:

"I think we have picked enough bowlers and we have enough pace battery and a lot of fast bowlers are in a great space to be able to win us Test matches from any situation or any position.

"Obviously when you have someone like Jasprit Bumrah, depending on how many matches he would play, whenever he would come back and play the match for us, it would be a great sight for us. But I think we have a great mix of bowlers and a great set of bowlers who can get the job for the team done.

Other than Bumrah, India have the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur in the pace-bowling department.

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