Bumrah absent from India's first practice session at Edgbaston; Siraj seen polishing batting skills: Report

Jasprit Bumrah is reportedly set to miss the second Test against England in Birmingham that gets underway next Wednesday, after collecting a five-for in the series opener in Leeds. And while the Indian team is yet to officially confirm the star pacer’s absence from the second Test, Bumrah’s absence from Friday’s practice session at Edgbaston certainly did raise eyebrows.

And it wasn’t just Bumrah who was missing in action on Friday; seamer Prasidh Krishna – who had collected five wickets at Headingley while conceding more than six runs an over in both innings – also wasn’t part of the practice session on Friday, according to The Times of India.

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It was the Shubman Gill-led team’s first practice session since their five-wicket defeat at Headingley , where lost despite being in a dominant position at multiple stages of the game and eventually failed to defend a target of 371.

Siraj works on his batting; Arshdeep bowls under Morkel’s watchful eyes

While Bumrah will likely sit out of the second game at Edgbaston in order to stay fresh for the third Test at Lord’s in London, Prasidh was expected to be retained in the attack, with seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur likely getting benched after failing to make an impact with bat and proving expensive with the ball.

Senior pacer Mohammed Siraj, who was erratic at Headingley, was seen working on his batting at the nets with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, especially on leaving and ducking.

India had suffered twin batting collapses at Headingley , losing a combined 13 wickets for just 72 runs, and captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir will be eager to rectify this area of concern in their quest for a series-leveling victory in Birmingham.

Also Read | Gavaskar asks Gill and Gambhir to stop ‘optional practice’ after Headingley loss

Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who had received a maiden Test call-up last month with the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee unveiled India’s squad, had an extended session with bowling coach Morne Morkel in the nets on Friday.

An established star in the T20I circuit who has also been impressive in ODIs, Arshdeep was overlooked for the series opener in Leeds, but might get his maiden cap in Birmingham with Bumrah likely to sit out, unless Akash Deep beats him to the slot come Wednesday.