Aakash Chopra, a former cricketer and now commentator, has shared his thoughts on the planned limited use of Jasprit Bumrah, India’s key fast bowler, during the five Test matches against England, which are set to commence on June 20 at headingley.

Ajit Agarkar,the chief selector,revealed when announcing India’s team for the upcoming Test series in England that Jasprit Bumrah has been advised against participating in successive Tests to manage his workload.

The decision to manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload stems from a stress reaction in his back that occurred during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January.

Jasprit Bumrah was absent from India’s Champions Trophy victory and later played for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, stated on Wednesday that a decision has not yet been made regarding which Tests Jasprit Bumrah will play in.

Aakash Chopra,speaking on JioHotstar,said: “It’ll be tempting to play him in tougher conditions because in tough situations,you want your best players. You’d want kohli in a crunch chase; similarly, you want Bumrah in bowler-pleasant conditions. The Oval and Birmingham will be trickier. The pitches are flatter, and you’ll need very experienced bowlers.”

Aakash Chopra added, “The call will come down to how Bumrah’s body is responding. But if it were up to me, I’d play him where the conditions are toughest — because that’s where he gives you the biggest edge.”

India will be without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of its major batsmen, who both retired from Test cricket last month.

Aakash Chopra believes that the expectations surrounding the young team, led by Shubman gill as captain, will make the upcoming challenge in England “harder.”

Aakash Chopra also noted, “Expectations will make the challenge harder. But with a new team, there’s some cushioning.People believe this is a team of youngsters, and with that comes a longer rope. If you expect them to win every time, you’re not being realistic. The pressure is still there but it’s different from the pressure an experienced team faces, where the only expectation is to win.”