India’s long tour of England has offered an early challenge, but also a valuable opportunity. After a closely contested match at Headingley—one that slipped away despite promising moments—the team is now preparing to bounce back stronger. With Jasprit Bumrah, their pace spearhead, likely to miss the second Test at Edgbaston after an intense 44-over spell, India will look to rework their bowling plans with fresh energy. Encouragingly, Bumrah is expected to return for the third Test at Lord’s on July 10.
With just a week to prepare for Birmingham, the Indian camp has a clear focus: reset, refine, and respond. Their pace attack, brimming with talent, now has the chance to rise to the occasion. After a deserved two-day break, the bowlers will return to the nets, ready to correct course and put Headingley behind them. This is a team that has shown resilience before, and Edgbaston could be the perfect stage to show it again – that being said, many fans believe in them and are actively searching for the best betting offers in India.
The Bumrah Factor
India’s ability to take 20 wickets even with Bumrah in the side has been questioned. So, doing it without their lead bowler is bound to be an uphill battle. The selectors face a key decision in choosing who will step up at Edgbaston.
On the final day at Headingley, England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley exposed India’s lack of bite. They didn’t resort to brute force, but instead dissected the bowling with smart, calculated aggression. India’s bowlers were shown to lack the adaptability needed for England’s surprisingly benign pitches. Whether it was poor planning from the coaching staff or poor execution from the bowlers, the end result was stark—India couldn’t defend a sizeable 371-run target in the fourth innings on a rain-interrupted day.
Lessons from the First Test
A closer look at dismissals in the first Test reveals an important pattern: most wickets came from full deliveries aimed at the stumps. Even Sachin Tendulkar, speaking to The Indian Express, pointed out the effectiveness of Bumrah’s full-length deliveries. These balls create opportunities for bowled, lbw, and caught-behind dismissals. Notable names like Duckett, Crawley, Joe Root, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, and Shubman Gill were all dismissed in similar fashion—proof that attacking the stumps pays dividends.
Unfortunately, the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur failed to stick to this principle, especially during the crucial first session on Day 5, when India desperately needed early breakthroughs. While the conditions—cloudy with moisture in the air—favoured swing bowling, the Indian attack failed to exploit them. Prasidh and Thakur appeared to either reject the theory of full-length bowling or were following alternative plans. The consequences were obvious: the pressure on England’s openers eased, and they accelerated freely.
Inexperience Shows
Prasidh’s first over typified his uncertainty. Starting with a yorker, he then pulled back the length, overcompensated with a short ball, and seemed to second-guess his approach. Duckett edged one, which could have been a turning point, but the moment passed without consequence. India need their third pacer to be sharp from the very first delivery.
Whether it’s Arshdeep Singh or Akash Deep replacing Bumrah at Birmingham, they must deliver instantly. England’s Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse showed that even relative newcomers can make an impact with the right mindset and execution.
Thakur, too, struggled. His opening over included a loose delivery on the legs—mercifully hit straight to a fielder—but the next was similar and dispatched for a boundary. During a five-over stretch with both Thakur and Prasidh bowling, England raced from 63/0 to 92/0, scoring at nearly six an over.
These are not just technical lapses—they’re mental ones. It takes hours of repetition to develop control, but it also requires composure and leadership.
Siraj’s Time to Step Up
With Bumrah absent, Mohammed Siraj will shoulder the responsibility of leading the attack. But signs from Headingley suggest he’s not quite there yet. In one spell, when a catch was dropped and another edge flew for runs, Siraj looked dejected and frozen. It was Bumrah who consoled him, walking him back to his mark—just as veterans like Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami have done in the past.
Siraj now must grow into that mentor role himself. He must not only deliver with the ball but inspire and lead the rest of the bowling unit. That charming, emotional video where Siraj called Bumrah “the only game changer” with a beaming smile? Now, it’s time for Siraj to be that game changer.
The second Test at Edgbaston is not just about squaring the series—it’s about finding India’s next bowling leader, developing new match-winners, and restoring belief. Without Bumrah, the mountain is steeper. But sometimes, a team learns to climb only after its strongest climber steps aside!