India would ideally want Jasprit Bumrah to play all five Tests of the England tour, but that's not going to happen to prevent Bumrah from breaking down again. Bumrah played all five Tests during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and injured his back in the final Test. Another such injury could be career-threatening, and India can't afford that.

Ahead of the England tour, it was decided that Bumrah would only play three Tests. Bumrah made his presence felt in the first game and bagged a five-wicket haul. He went wicketless in the second innings, but was by far the best bowler for the hosts as other bowlers took a beating.

Given his performance, there were calls for Bumrah to play all five Tests; however, coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed after the defeat in the first Test that the pacer would play only three Tests.

Gambhir's remarks left former India cricketer Aakash Chopra bemused as he felt that the Indian coach should have kept the opposition guessing on Jasprit Bumrah. Chopra feels that if Bumrah plays the second Test, England would know that the pacer would only play one of the remaining three Tests and thus could prepare pitches accordingly.

“Bumrah said he will play three matches only, and I am thinking whether it was required to publicise it. Why was it not kept a secret? We don't announce our team as well. So why was it necessary to reiterate it repeatedly before the start of the tour that he would play three matches only? Let them guess. You play whichever Tests you wish,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“You have played one, and you know you can play only two of the remaining four matches, which is not a good thing. If you play the second as well, you will play one of three. So, suddenly, the opposition gets into a great frame of mind that Bumrah, your biggest strength, is also not there. You can prepare pitches accordingly,” he added.

According to reports, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested for the second Test at Edgbaston to manage his workload. Without Bumrah, India's bowling will be under pressure as the form of Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur looked shaky in the first Test.

Chopra further said there is a need to create a next crop of fast bowlers as there is uncertainty over the future of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

"The next generation of Indian fast bowlers will have to be prepared. It's a serious issue. There were two important pillars of India's good performance away from home. One was batters starting to score runs, but it doesn't work out with that, as you need to pick up 20 wickets. So Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj were outstanding with Jasprit Bumrah," said Chopra.

“I also remember Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's Lord's Test. When there are doubts about Bumrah's availability, who will take the responsibility going forward, because Mohammad Shami, I think that story is not over, but it is close to an ending. Mohammed Siraj is good, but he hasn't reached the rank of Bumrah or Shami,” he added.