For the forthcoming tour, which begins with a warm-up match on June 13 and the first Test in Leeds on June 20, Jasprit Bumrah, the top Test bowler in the world, is eager to get his hands on the Dukes balls and play in favourable circumstances in England. He said that when the ball gets soft, it will be the most difficult.
“Playing in England is always a different challenge,” Bumrah said on the Beyond23 cricket YouTube channel to former Australia captain Michael Clarke. “I always enjoy using the Dukes ball to bowl.
However, because the Dukes ball is always changing, I’m not sure how much it’s doing at the moment. But the fluctuating climate and the weather. And there’s always a challenge when the ball gets soft. I therefore eagerly await playing in England.
Bumrah has taken 37 wickets in eight games (not counting the 2021 World Test Championship final) at an average of 23.78 and a strike rate of 51.9 in the next Test series, which will be his third in England. Any of his other quick bowlers, including Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna, can crush opponents, according to Bumrah, particularly when a team is playing aggressively like England.
“They’re playing an interesting style of cricket which is interesting because I don’t really understand it too much,” Bumrah stated. “But as a bowling unit, we always feel confident that when the batters are being ultra-aggressive, on a given day, anybody could run through and get wickets.”
The five Test matches in England will take place at Leeds, Birmingham, Lord’s, Manchester, and The Oval over a 46-day period from June 20 to July 4. Due to his workload management, top selector Ajit Agarkar has stated that Bumrah is unlikely to play in all five Test matches.
In the upcoming nine months, Bumrah stated he will play all three formats but will pick and select his games to keep his body fresh because his team has a full calendar and a T20 World Cup in February 2026 that India and Sri Lanka will co-host.
“Obviously, it is tough for any individual to keep playing everything for so long,” he stated. “I’ve been doing it for a while, but eventually you have to understand where your body is going, what is the important tournament.”
“You need to use your body wisely and with a little discernment. As a cricket player, I would always want to keep going and never give up. However, I don’t look at stats or make goals. I’ve never been able to accomplish the goals I’ve set.
“I started this sport because I just want to enjoy it. At the end of the sport, that’s all I’ll remember, so take each day as it comes and make memories.”
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