Jasprit Bumrah, India’s pace spearhead and arguably their most valuable player in this series, is reportedly set to miss the second Test against England at Edgbaston. According to a report in theindianexpress.com, Bumrah is expected to return for the third Test at Lord's on July 10. However, this development could be a massive blow for the Indian think tank as they will be scratching their heads over how to replace their talisman.

Bumrah bowled 44 overs at Headingley as the Indian bowlers appeared to struggle with their line and lengths and lost the first Test in Leeds while defending 371 runs on the last day of the contest. So, the worry is that if they could not pick all 10 wickets with Bumrah, then how will they do it without him, and who will be the replacement?

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri spoke on the matter and said, "Bumrah said he’ll play three Test matches. Now, which of the three he’ll play, that’s, you know, another question to be asked. I think if he takes a break, it’ll be the next one, because he’ll definitely want to play at Lord’s, right?"

"And there’s a break, and then you go into Lord’s, then there’s a break, and then there’s a choice between Manchester and the same. It could be 2-0 down. So that is the problem. I think he has got to play,” Shastri said, speaking on Sky Sports.

However, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stated that India cannot afford to rest their leading pacer and must field their strongest XI.

“After such a good individual performance by Bumrah, and with India down 0-1, I wouldn’t rest him. I would ask him to play the second Test, help India level the series, and then take a break. There’s a good gap between the third and fourth Test where he can rest,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

For India, the timing couldn't have been worse and now it will be a test of India’s bench strength. But the clock is ticking.