According to The Indian Express, Jasprit Bumrah will only play three of the five Tests against England. 'Jasprit Jasprit Bumrah has already informed the board that his body can't take the toll of more than three Test matches,' the report claimed.

Captaincy Hopes of Jasprit Bumrah Dented by Injury

All this practically puts him out of the captaincy contention. Jasprit Bumrah, now India’s vice-captain in Tests, had captained India twice in Australia, and if he did not injure his back during the Sydney Test, he was first choice to succeed Rohit Sharma as the next Test captain.

Selectors did not want a captain uncertain about playing all matches because of workload management. Thus, Shubman Gill was said to become the leading candidate for the Test captaincy.

No Surprise in Partial Absence of Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah’s absence for all five Tests, though, should not be a big surprise. Following what transpired in Australia a couple of months back, it was but inevitable that India would not expose their fast bowlers in all forms in all five Tests of a series.

Besides Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Shami’s fitness is also a concern for India. The experienced fast bowler, who had remained out of the T20 World Cup and the Australia tour because of an ankle injury, is not said to be fit to bowl long spells in red-ball cricket and hence, may not feature in the Test team.

"Shami is bowling four overs in for Sunrisers Hyderabad but the board and selectors don't know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers and we can't take chances," a source in the board informed The Indian Express.

New Pacers Likely for England Tour

Tests, India would need to select a couple of additional fast bowlers. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has been immensely impressive with the new ball in white-ball cricket and has also gained exposure of red-ball cricket with Kent in England, is most likely to be awarded his first Test call. Haryana fast bowler Anshul Kamboj, who has been included in the India A squad, is another likely candidate to be selected in the final squad of India.

This is the first high-profile announcement of the squad after retirement announcements made by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Ajit Agarkar, who is the chairman of selectors, is understood to make the announcement of the squad, which will be made up of 16 or 17 players. B Sai Sudharsan will be the new face in the Test squad as a rookie.Ajit Agarkar, who is the chairman of selectors, is understood to make the announcement of the squad, which will be made up of 16 or 17 players. B Sai Sudharsan will be the new face in the Test squad as a rookie.