Shubman Gill told to unleash Bumrah on Joe Root, but that won't be 'defining moment': 'If he's on top of his game...'

Barring that one-off face-off in Birmingham three years ago, India are yet to truly taste Bazball in England. And that's what makes the impending five-match series a "mouth-watering contest"—particularly with the famed approach set to clash against the most lethal Test bowler of the modern era: Jasprit Bumrah. However, former England batter Nick Knight believes the "defining moment" of the series may lie elsewhere.
In a conversation with The Indian Express, Knight broke down how England's batters might counter Bumrah, but pointed to one duel as the key battle—Bumrah vs Joe Root. He even advised Shubman Gill, India's new Test captain, to unleash Bumrah specifically on Root.
"My gut feeling is that if this contest were happening two years ago or a year ago, England would look to take Bumrah down by being ultra-aggressive. Now, it might be that they absorb the spell from Bumrah. As a general rule, would they be ultra-aggressive against Bumrah? Probably not.
I don't think England are going to go into their team meetings and say, right, let's take on Bumrah. I mean, there probably will be one spell when they do, because he might not be feeling great, the wicket might be flat. Root versus Bumrah is going to be the battle. If I were Gill, I would probably make Bumrah bowl as many balls in the series to Joe Root," he said.
Bumrah has played nine Tests in England, where he picked 37 wickets at 26.27, with two five-wicket hauls.
Despite Bumrah's prowess, Knight felt the game-changer for India could be Kuldeep Yadav. His comment came even amid uncertainty over the leg-spinner's spot in the playing XI, with India likely to pick Ravindra Jadeja as the sole spinner. In fact, he suggested playing Kuldeep ahead of Jadeja in the line-up.
"It is quite warm, sunny and humid here in the UK. So the pitches are going to be very dry, potentially. Historically, at Edgbaston, you see a turn. At Old Trafford, you get a bounce and turn. I would be surprised if England don't play Shoaib Bashir if the pitches stay dry. India will very likely play Ravindra Jadeja, but I would be looking for every opportunity to play Kuldeep Yadav. England will find it hard against Kuldeep. If Kuldeep is on top of his game, that could be a defining moment in the series, or moments, because England likes to be aggressive. When you want to be aggressive, you have to be certain about which way the ball is turning. If there is a little bit of assistance from the pitch, Kuldeep will be able to bowl all his varieties," he added.
The five-match contest will begin on June 20 in Leeds. India will be aiming to win their first Test series in England since 2007.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hindustan Times

9 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Ben Stokes bursts into laughter after Rishabh Pant belts him down the ground for four off his second ball

Ben Stokes just makes things happen. When India just lost the wicket of KL Rahul after a brilliant 91-run opening stand, he got rid of debutant Sai Sudharsan for a duck with an unusual leg-side trap. When Yashavi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill threatened to bat England out of the Test, he produced an absolute peach of a delivery out of nowhere to beat the defence of Jaiswal batting on 101. But even he has his match and that is Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant charges down the track to hit Ben Stokes India's newly-crowned vice-captain walked into the middle after Jaiswal fell for a brilliant 101. At 221 for 3, they were in a solid position, but Stokes was in the middle of a good spell; any leeway could hand England a footing. Pant's first ball was a straight bat defence. In the next ball, he charged down the track and belted Stokes over his head for a boundary. No pacer likes to be charged down the track and get hit in that manner, but Stokes, as unique as he is as a cricketer, was not angry or distraught by any means. In fact, he had a whole hearty laugh, almost as if he enjoyed it to a great extent. The England captain even took a couple of steps towards Pant and exchanged a couple of friendly words. Notably, Stokes has been an open admirer of Pant. He even went on to state that Pant plays Bazball-style cricket in the Indian unit. Stokes continued to bowl a testing spell to Pant, who did well not to get sucked into any rash shots. Stkes kept Pant honest by varying his lengths and pace. he even tried a couple of lethal bouncers and a slower one that almost hit trapped Pant in front of the stumps but the Indian keeper-batter survived. Pant's patient batting did not allow England to have any entry into the Test match as India continued to dominate proceedings. Captain Shubman Gill hit a sparkling century to become the fourth India captain after Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli to hit a century on their captaincy debut. This was Gill's sixth Test century and his first one in a SENA country. Gill and Pant brought up their century partnership as Pant nudged towards a half-century while India went past 300. The foundation was laid by a solid opening partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. India did lose Rahul (42) and debutant Sai Sudharsan (0) in quick succession but Gill and Jaiswal's 129-run partnership for the third wicket really put India in the driver's seat. Playing his first Test in England, Jaiswal hit a sublime century. It took a magical delivery from Stokes to stop him.

Time of India

11 hours ago

• Time of India

IND vs ENG 1st Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal slams 100 in Leeds, announces arrival in England in style

Yashasvi Jaiswal is rapidly cementing his status as a Test match star. After smashing a stunning century on debut in Perth against Australia, the young left-hander has repeated the feat - this time on English soil at Headingley. Despite battling repeated cramps in his right forearm, Jaiswal displayed remarkable resilience to bring up his fifth Test hundred. The milestone came off a delivery from Brydon Carse — a good-length ball on off-stump. Jaiswal stayed back and gently guided it toward point before setting off for a single. As soon as he completed the run, he tore off his helmet, raised his arm high, let out a roaring cheer, and punched the air in jubilation. 📸 📸A celebratory run 👌The hands aloft 🙌The trademark jump ☺️Updates ▶️ | #ENGvIND | @ybj_19 Hundreds for India in maiden Test innings in England 146 – M. Vijay, Trent Bridge, 2014 133 – Vijay Manjrekar, Headingley, 1952 131 – Sourav Ganguly, Lord's, 1996 129* – Sandeep Patil, Old Trafford, 1982 100* – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Headingley, 2025 Fans React to Yashasvi Jaiswal's Hundred Jaiswal has developed a knack for delivering in series openers. He smashed a ton in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year — and now he's done it again. Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate, declaring that "Jaisball" is the answer to England's "Bazball." One said, "He has done it in Aus. Now done it in England too… What a player." He has done it in Aus. Now done it now in England soil also... What a player 💯 🏏#YashasviJaiswal #ENGvIND#INDvsENG Another said, "A Test match hundred in England in his very first innings. Hats off to his talent — a generational guy!" HUNDRED BY YASHASVI JAISWAL. 🇮🇳- A Test match hundred in England in his very first innings. Hats off to his talent, a generational guy! 🙇‍♂️#INDvsENGTest #ENGvsIND #YashasviJaiswal One wrote, "THE ANSWER FOR BAZBALL IS JAISBALL." THE ANSWER FOR BAZZBALL IS JAISBALL. 💪 Another wrote, "Yashasvi Jaiswal is built different. Pure class, pure intent — welcome to Jaisball in England." HUNDRED FROM JUST 144 BALLS IN HIS FIRST TEST IN ENGLAND...!!! 🥶🔥Yashasvi Jaiswal is built class, pure intent — welcome to Jaisball in England 🇮🇳🏏#INDvsENG #YashasviJaiswal #TestCricket ENG vs IND: Teams India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir Stay ahead of the game with the latest updates, match highlights, and insider stories from IPL, WTC, cricket, WWE, and more! Click here.

Indian Express

12 hours ago

• Indian Express

PV Sindhu's sweet birthday wish for former coach and ‘big brother' Park Tae Sang: ‘Please eat some sugar today…'

Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu sent a cheeky yet adorable birthday wish to former coach, Korea's Park Tae Sang, who mentored the shuttler during her memorable run to bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics among other achievements. 'Six years in India, four years coaching me — you didn't just become my coach, you became my big brother,' Sindhu said in a social media post as coach Park turned 46. 'Thank you for leaving your family behind to guide me. I'll always be so grateful.' The highlight of the Sindhu-Park partnership was of course the bronze in Tokyo, which was her second Olympic Games medal. It was a bittersweet one, however, as Sindhu had to pick herself up after a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinals, to then get ready for a match that is never easy to play: the one to avoid finishing fourth. Sindhu defeated He Bingjiao to ensure she finished on the podium and coach Park's reactions at the end of that match is part of Indian badminton's folklore now. Happy Birthday, Coach Parkkkkkkk! ❤️ Six years in India, four years coaching me — you didn't just become my coach, you became my big brother. Thank you for leaving your family behind to guide me. I'll always be so grateful. I hope the five titles, Commonwealth gold, and Olympic… — Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) June 20, 2025 Sindhu added: 'I hope the five titles, Commonwealth gold, and Olympic bronze made it all worth it — haha! Wishing you a day full of everything you love — golf, glowing skin, and a little Indian masala too! Please eat some sugar today… you won't gain any weight, I promise! Her visit to Guwahati for a national camp earlier this year – where coach Park now works at the National Centre of Excellence – also gave Sindhu a chance to catch up with him. Sindhu had a successful stint with the Korean coach, who earned something of a cult status among Indian badminton followers for his endearing demeanor. The two got along well off the court too. Once, coach Park posted a story on Instagram, 'Sindhu, you are two minutes late.' The next day, Sindhu got to the practice courts earlier and posted a photo of him holding his hands up. 'You're late now, Coach.' 'I really miss him,' Sindhu told The Indian Express during an interview. 'It was sad to say goodbye when I left. It was nice to see him after a long time. We exchange messages now and then, and he was very happy to see me. We spent some time together. He's very sweet and a nice person. I've personally known him for a long time, even before he was my coach. I've known him since I was a junior.' After she moved on from coach Park, Sindhu had worked with a few coaches – including the legendary Prakash Padukone to help her for Paris 2024 – but at the start of this year, she finally seems to have found a stability again. Former Indonesia men's singles coach Irwansyah is now in Sindhu's corner as she tries to climb her way back up the world rankings.