In a bid to refocus attention on the longer format, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has urged the Indian team to treat Test cricket with greater seriousness. A major plank of that plan could be ensuring Jasprit Bumrah takes part in the remaining matches of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. A report has suggested that Bumrah may be asked to play through the WTC schedule, including two Tests in New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign against Australia at the start of the next year. With India currently placed sixth in the points table of the WTC, the BCCI’s apparent priority is to improve India’s fortunes in Tests rather than concentrate solely on limited-overs contests. In that context, the board reportedly is not overly concerned if Bumrah misses a few ODI series, even with the 50-over World Cup now just a little over a year away.
Bumrah’s workload has long been a subject of debate, largely because the fast bowler has shown a tendency to hit fitness issues when he doesn’t get enough rest. He was sidelined for a significant stretch after being part of all five Tests in Australia, which caused him to miss the Champions Trophy. Following that, India opted to give him some time away from the workload by resting him for two of the five Tests during the England leg of the tour, a series India finished level at 2-2 in August–September. That approach, however, appears set to change as the WTC demands intensify and Bumrah is seen as a vital piece of India’s Test plans for the 2025-26 cycle.
“The attempt is to keep Bumrah fit enough to play all Tests. He is expected to feature in the four Tests in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The key will be to maintain his freshness going into the five home Tests against Australia. The selectors won’t mind giving him a rest during some ODI series. He returned to T20 cricket after a two-year break when he played in the Asia Cup in September last year, and he still delivered,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
Get serious about Tests
India’s next Test outing is a one-off match against Afghanistan at New Chandigarh, beginning on June 6. While that fixture does not belong to the current WTC cycle, it is viewed as an important warm-up before the tougher assignments ahead. In September, India are scheduled to head to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series, a stretch expected to be challenging in light of the difficulties Indian batters have faced against quality spin. After that, India will travel to New Zealand, where they have not won a Test series since 2009—an ironic footnote being that Gautam Gambhir played a major role in that victory. The itinerary then turns to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with India set to attempt to retain the trophy in February of 2027.
“The aim is to get serious about Tests. The Afghanistan match may fall outside the WTC cycle, but there is no substitute for match practice. The top players will be reviewed, and selection decisions will be made accordingly,” the source added.
India’s current Test troubles have been severe. Over the last two years, the team has suffered two home whitewashes: a 0-3 series defeat to New Zealand in 2024 and, more recently, a 0-2 loss to South Africa in November. For a side that once dominated in home conditions and consistently posed a serious challenge to visiting teams in their own backyard, the decline under Gambhir’s leadership has been widely viewed as alarming.
