India are set to be without the services of Jasprit Bumrah when they face England in the 2nd Test of the five-match series in Birmingham from July 2 to 6. It was already confirmed that Bumrah won't play the complete series and he will only feature in 3 Test matches. The former India vice-captain played the series opener in Leeds and will be rested in Birmingham. He could make his return for the 3rd Test, scheduled to be played at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

AB de Villiers has shared his take on Bumrah's absence and namedropped Dale Steyn. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former SA captain revealed how SA used to manage Steyn.

Steyn, SA's highest wicket-taker in Tests, played red-ball cricket regularly. A shoulder injury derailed his Test career in 2016 and he only played 8 Tests after his return in 2018. But Steyn was once a regular in Tests.

"That’s what we used to do with Dale (Steyn). Rest him in lesser important T20 and ODI series and get him ready for the big Test series against Australia, England, and India away from home… New Zealand to a certain extent, depending on the rankings at that time," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

"So, I don’t know if it was mismanagement or perhaps because he recently got back from injury, sort of saw the IPL as the warmup phase. Maybe, went to the surgeon, who let him know, ‘You can’t play the five Test matches.’ So, I mean you got to respect that, and at the end of the day, it’s up to Team India to sort of manage him well. It doesn’t get bigger than that, guys, except for maybe the WTC final."

Bumrah has missed many matches since his Test debut in 2018. In 2022, a back injury ruled him out of the T20 World Cup. He made his return in 2023 and played the ODI World Cup. He was also part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team.

Bumrah suffered another back issue during the fifth Test of the Australia tour and missed the 2025 Champions Trophy. He made his return for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025. Bumrah's fitness issues saw him miss out on becoming the Test captain.