India prepares for the second Test against England on July 2, and all eyes are on Jasprit Bumrah’s presence in the crucial match. England won the first match by five wickets in Leeds, leading the series. India's team management is at a critical juncture to balance the immediate needs against long-term planning, since the series will continue for five matches, and they are already trailing.

Having claimed five wickets in England's first innings during the opening Test, the world's number one Test bowler is central to India's hopes of leveling the series. He surpassed Pakistan legend Wasim Akram to become the highest wicket-taking Asian bowler in the SENA countries.

"He's available for the game, obviously," Assistant Coach Ryan ten Doeschate stated during Monday's press conference. "We know from the start he's only going to play three out of the five. He's obviously had eight days to recover from the last test.”

However, the coaching staff still keeps the options open. According to  Doeschate, Bumrah is fully fit with no injury concerns, but their focus is purely on managing his workload throughout the series. “But you know, given conditions and workload and how we think we can best manage for the next four games, we haven't made a call on that. We're going to see where the other guys are with their workload as well. So technically yes he is available but we haven't made a decision.”, Doeschate explained, emphasizing the complex calculations involving pitch conditions and strategic planning across the remaining four matches.

During practice sessions at Birmingham, Bumrah has been seen spending long hours sitting with head coach Gautam Gambhir, and following a strict bowling regime compared to his fellow pace bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna.

Beyond Bumrah's availability, India faces several selection challenges for the Edgbaston encounter. Doeschate confirmed the team will deploy two spinners, with Washington Sundar reportedly favored over Kuldeep Yadav due to his superior batting credentials.

"It's just which two spinners we play. And that goes back to juggling the batting depth. All three spinners are bowling very nicely. Washi is batting very nicely," the assistant coach explained.

The fielding configuration may also undergo changes following India's costly dropped catches in Leeds. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who dropped four catches at Headingley, could be moved from the slip cordon, with Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy practicing in close catching positions during training.

“Yashk has been a very good catcher for us, and we want to manage his confidence there.  I think the more versatile we are as a fielding unit, the more guys who can do more jobs, and maybe just to give Yashk a break from catching in the gully for a little while. His hands are quite sore. We want to get his confidence back up.”- Ryan ten Doeschate

While India is grappling with selecting the team, England is sending out an unchanged playing XI for the Edgbaston Test. Archer was not present for Monday's training session at Edgbaston due to a family emergency and will be back in the team on Tuesday.

The Edgbaston Test begins on July 2, and the final team selection by India, particularly the inclusion of Bumrah, will declare their approach for the remaining part of this crucial series.