England’s captain, Ben Stokes, brushed aside concerns about Jasprit Bumrah playing in only three of the five Tests. He stated it’s India’s problem and expects the passionate Indian team to compete fiercely in the second Test, no matter who plays.
Bumrah stood out as India’s best bowler in Leeds, where the team led by Shubman Gill lost after a strong start. Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur struggled with consistency in their bowling, failing to really challenge the English batsmen. India hasn’t decided which three Tests Bumrah will play this summer. He played in one, leaving him with two more games out of the remaining four.
Still, Stokes and his team aren’t worried about Bumrah’s appearances and are focused on increasing their lead in the series.
When questioned about Bumrah, Stokes simply said, That’s India’s problem. They will handle it. I am England’s captain.
Stokes respects the Indian team, saying, They are a good team. They always fight hard and come at you strong. They are a very passionate team.
He added that there’s always pressure on international athletes, but playing cricket for India probably adds a bit more pressure than it does for other countries, because it’s a very proud nation. We won’t take anything for granted from last week. We’re starting fresh at 0-0.
England successfully chased down 371 runs on day five in Leeds, marking their second-highest successful chase in Test cricket. Their highest chase of 378 also came against India at Edgbaston three years prior.