Despite India losing the first match of the five-match series 0-1, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, is still committed to the pre-determined strategy of just using Jasprit Bumrah in three of the tests on the current tour of England. At Headingley, Bumrah stood out in an otherwise dull bowling display. That strategy may result in Bumrah sitting out the second Test at Edgbaston, a prospect that has Ravi Shastri raising the alarm. The previous head coach cautioned that taking a break for India's top pacer right now might lead to another loss.

The 31-year-old will only play three games in England, as confirmed last month by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, owing to Bumrah's difficulties with back problems, which first surfaced during the Sydney Test earlier this year in January and later caused him to miss the Champions Trophy.

After the rest of the pacemen struggled on the dry Headingley surface, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar made a special appeal for the fast bowler to play all five games after he took a five-wicket haul in the first innings in Leeds. However, following the five-wicket defeat on Tuesday, Gambhir turned down the request, indicating that Bumrah will only be in two more games.

Shastri speculated in an interview with Sky Cricket that it might be in Birmingham because the management would want to bring him in for the Lord's tie, even if India hasn't yet made a decision on which of those two games it will be. The former India all-rounder, however, acknowledged that resting Bumrah in the second Test would undoubtedly result in another loss, perhaps bringing their series to an end in Edgbaston.

“Bumrah stated he will play in three Test games. The question now is which of the three he will play, as you know. Since he'll certainly want to play at Lord's, I believe that his break will be the next one. Then there's a pause before you enter Lord's, and then there's a choice between Manchester and the same. It's possible that it's 2-0 behind. That is the issue, then. He must play, in my opinion, he said.

'The next Test has to include a knockout strike.'

Additionally, Shastri stated that if India wants to have a chance in the series, they must respond in the second game, given that they are currently behind 0–1. Gambhir would be particularly eager to turn things around in England, given how near they were in the Leeds game, after losing to New Zealand at home and then in the tour of Australia.

“It will be a hard pill to swallow since I had just been telling him in the commentary box that we lost 3-0 to New Zealand and that we had lost a series in Australia.” This is a challenging series, though. With England having issues with their bowling attack and the injuries they have, you had a chance to get the better of them here. And you've messed it up. It's time to catch up. You're going to demonstrate some true character. The knockout blow must occur in the following Test match. You're truly in the dumps if that doesn't occur. Therefore, you're down anytime there's a counter-punch. That must occur right now. Therefore, they must come to this understanding, he stated.

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