Birmingham, July 1 (UNI) India captain Shubman Gill on Tuesday confirmed that premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is available for selection, but the final decision on his inclusion will be taken in the evening after assessing pitch and weather conditions.
“Jasprit Bumrah is available. We will take the Jasprit Bumrah call this evening,” Gill said during a pre-match press interaction. “We are trying to find the right combination which can pick 20 wickets and score runs as well.”
India are also weighing the option of fielding two spinners – an uncommon tactic in Leeds – in response to the atypical conditions prevailing at Headingley.
“It isn’t usual to play two spinners here, but we have not had typical weather. There has not been enough rain. In the last match also, we felt that if we had an extra spinner in the 4th innings, the game could have been better,” Gill said.
“There were some patches in the wicket that we could have exploited. Whenever Jaddu Bhai (Ravindra Jadeja) was bowling, we felt that chances were being created. We felt that it is easier to contain the runs for spinners than for pacers when the ball is old,” he added.
Gill also explained how the conditions impact pace bowling effectiveness after the ball ages. “In these conditions, the ball doesn’t swing as much after 30-40 overs. If pacers aren’t able to create as many chances for wickets, we feel that maybe a second spinner on these kinds of wickets will at least contain runs until the second new ball arrives.”
Despite the selection challenges, Gill remained confident in the squad’s depth. “It is difficult. But we’ve picked the best players from India. It’s not an impossible task — other bowlers are good. We have a strong pool,” he said.
India go into the Leeds Test with a series lead and the chance to seal the contest, but conditions and tactical flexibility could prove decisive in the team composition.
