What India need to plan for in the second Test against England

IND vs ENG: Jasprit Bumrah is available for India’s second Test against England. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said so on Monday. Captain Shubman Gill repeated that on Tuesday. Whether Bumrah will play in the match starting on Wednesday, though, is another matter altogether.

Bumrah’s likely absence is one of the main things the Indian team has to contend with, after going down 1-0 in the five-match Test series. Defeat in the first Test would have been particularly galling because India dominated that match for large parts. However, they could not shut England out of the game and paid the price.

Planning for Bumrah’s absence

While Gill was very clear that a call on Bumrah would be taken as late as possible, the indications were that India would be without their best bowler – and indeed the world’s best bowler – for the second Test at Edgbaston.

The captain and the coaching staff have repeatedly said that Bumrah was going to be available for only three Tests. It makes sense, then, to have him play the third Test at Lord’s rather than this one.

Unless Bumrah can actually play four Tests instead of three. But if he can, it would mean Bumrah plays three consecutive Tests, because the gap between the fourth and fifth Test is too small for Bumrah to play both. Assuming he does not play, the question India have to wrestle with is, how best to take 20 wickets.

“It is difficult, but at the end of the day, we have picked the best players in India in this squad,” Gill said on the eve of the second Test. “It’s not impossible. The other bowlers have also performed well, that’s why they are playing for the country. We have a great pool of talent.

He added, “We knew before the series that he would only be playing three Test matches, so we had all the different combinations we might go with, depending on the pitch. You definitely do miss your best bowler if he’s not playing, but we had that sorted before the series.”

The Kuldeep question

Can India bring in Kuldeep Yadav as their spinner, because he is India’s best wicket-taking option after Bumrah? The issue is, the other two spinners – Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar – offer much more with the bat. And India will be wanting some batting insurance after two spectacular lower-order collapses in the first Test.

“If you are going with an extra spinner, the only thing you have to see is how do you manage him on Day 1, if you are bowling on Day 1,” explained Gill. “If at all, there is anything on these kinds of pitches, it is on Day 1 in the first couple of sessions. The main call you have to take is how to manage your spinner on Day 1.”

However, England’s unusually hot summer has made it easier to contemplate a two-spinner attack.

“You don’t usually see two spinners playing in England, but the weather has not been typical. It’s been quite hot,” said Gill. “Last game also, we felt that if we had another spinner in the fourth innings, the game could have been closer. When the ball gets old, we also felt it’s easier for spinners to contain runs than the fast bowlers. Maybe a second spinner on these pitches, even if they can’t take wickets, they can contain the scoring till the second new ball becomes available. If we get a similar wicket to the first Test, then a second spinner won’t be a bad option.

“Our first priority on these pitches is always how we can get 20 wickets, rather than playing that extra batter.”

So Gill left the door open for India to include Kuldeep. However, he also pointed out how that would be tricky if India finds themselves bowling on Day 1.

Righting the wrongs

Gill was also categorical in saying that the team could not afford to repeat the sloppiness from the first Test – collapsing with the bat, spilling too many catches, and not bowling consistently.

“We did play well in a lot of moments, but in certain moments, we didn’t just play badly, we played very badly,” he said. “You cannot have a phase that is so bad that you are out of the game.”

India have said the right words and prepared in the right manner for the second Test. Now they’ll need to translate that to results on the field.