Yeh series 20 June 2025 se Leeds mein shuru hogi. Gambhir aur team ke new captain Shubman Gill dono confident hain ki team ke pass itni fast-bowling depth hai ki Bumrah ke kuch matches miss karne se koi badi problem nahi hogi.
Jasprit Bumrah Ki Availability
Jasprit Bumrah, jo duniya ke No. 1 Test bowler hain, unki fitness aur workload management ke wajah se unhe pure five Tests khelne ki permission nahi di gayi hai. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar ne kaha ki physios aur doctors ne suggest kiya hai ki Bumrah ko kam se kam ek ya do Test matches mein rest diya jaye. Iske bawajood, Gambhir ne kaha, “Humne abhi yeh decide nahi kiya ki Bumrah kaunse teen Tests khelenge. Yeh series ke results aur situation par depend karega.”
Bumrah ne recently Australia ke khilaf Border-Gavaskar Trophy mein shandaar performance diya, jahan unhone 152.1 overs mein 32 wickets liye. Lekin is series ke dauraan unhe back spasms aur stress reactions ka issue hua, jiske wajah se unhone IPL 2025 ke shuruaati matches aur Champions Trophy miss kiye. Ab woh IPL mein wapas aa chuke hain aur Mumbai Indians ke liye khel rahe hain, jahan unhone apni bowling se sabko impress kiya.
India Ke Fast-Bowling Options
Gambhir ne press conference mein kaha, “Jasprit Bumrah ek zabardast bowler hain, lekin humare pass team mein aur bhi kaafi quality hai.” Unhone yeh bhi kaha ki Bumrah ke na khelne se doosre bowlers ko mauka milega apna talent dikhane ka. India ke squad mein Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, aur naye player Arshdeep Singh jaise fast bowlers hain. Arshdeep ko is series ke liye pehli baar Test call-up mila hai, aur woh apne white-ball performances aur England mein red-ball cricket ke experience ke wajah se team mein shamil kiye gaye hain.
Mohammed Shami ke fitness issues ke wajah se unka is series mein khelna bhi doubtful hai. Woh ankle injury se recover kar rahe hain aur abhi lamba spell daalne ke liye tayyar nahi hain. Is wajah se team management ne extra fast bowlers ko squad mein rakha hai, jismein Anshul Kamboj bhi ek contender hain.
Gautam Gambhir Ka Confidence
Gambhir ka kehna hai ki team ke pass itni depth hai ki woh Bumrah ki kami ko cover kar sakte hain. Unhone kaha, “Humare pass kaafi talent hai. Main yeh pehle bhi Champions Trophy ke dauraan keh chuka hoon ki agar koi player nahi khelta, toh yeh doosre players ke liye ek opportunity hai.” Gambhir aur captain Shubman Gill dono series ke liye positive hain aur unhe yakeen hai ki team England ke tough conditions mein bhi acha perform karegi.
Squad Ki Tayyari
India ka 18-member squad England tour ke liye announce ho chuka hai, jismein Shubman Gill captain hain aur Rishabh Pant vice-captain. Team mein naye players jaise B Sai Sudharsan aur Karun Nair bhi hain, jo batting line-up ko majbooti denge. Yeh squad kaafi young hai, kyunki Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, aur Ravichandran Ashwin ne Test cricket se retirement le liya hai.
Gambhir ne yeh bhi kaha ki series ke results ke hisaab se Bumrah ke matches decide kiye jayenge. Unka focus team ko flexible rakhna hai taaki woh har situation ke liye ready rahe. India A aur India ke beech ek intra-squad game bhi 13 se 16 June tak khela jayega, jisse players ko English conditions mein practice ka mauka milega.
Gautam Gambhir aur Shubman Gill ke leadership mein India ka yeh Test squad ek nayi shuruaat ke liye tayyar hai. Jasprit Bumrah ke limited participation ke bawajood, team ke pass itni bowling depth hai ki woh England ke khilaf competitive rahegi. Gambhir ka confidence aur strategic planning se yeh saaf hai ki woh team ko har challenge ke liye ready karna chahte hain
