The second Test between England and India will begin on July 2 in Birmingham.
England pacer Mark Wood has advised the Indian team to convince pacer Jasprit Bumrah to play in the upcoming second Test against England to be played in Birmingham from July 2nd onwards. India is 0-1 down, after failing to defend 371 runs in the Leeds Test.
Bumrah was the star for India in the first innings of the first Test, taking 5/83. However, England played him cautiously, knowing he could not exert himself beyond a limit, and this resulted in Bumrah going wicketless in England’s successful chase.
The Indian team management and Jasprit Bumrah himself said that he will only play 3 Tests, but Mark Wood feels that India needs the star pacer in order not to go down 0-2 in the series.
"They cannot afford to go 2-0 down. So, you want your best bowler. There's no way he's saying, 'I'm not playing at Lord's.' I don't think so. I think he'll want to play both games," Wood said on the Sky Sports podcast.
"Even if, let's just say, India wins the next one and it's 1-1, I still think they'll want him to make the difference, to get them ahead. I think every overseas bowler wants to get on that board, and he'll be the same," he added.
Bumrah would want to play in the third Test at Lord's, according to former England captain Michael Atherton, but he also stated that India needs to use left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
“They have got a decision to make over Bumrah, first of all, because every overseas player wants to play in a Lord's Test. The Lord's Test is three days after Edgbaston. In cricketing terms, he should certainly play at Edgbaston, and I'd think very carefully about Old Trafford, because that's the kind of ground where pace and reverse swing are really important.
But as you say, every cricketer wants to play at Lord's and get on that honors board. I do think they should play Kuldeep Yadav. I think had they had Kuldeep in their team, they would have won that game at Edgbaston,” Atherton said.
The second Test between England and India will begin on July 2.