It’s usually very rare for a team to tweak a winning combination, but India may just break the pattern heading into the third Test against England at the iconic Lord's Cricket Stadium starting Thursday. Jasprit Bumrah’s impending return after missing the Edgbaston Test gives India a much-needed boost and perhaps covers the only weakness in the team – a threatening third pacer. After Bumrah’s one-man show at Leeds, it felt as if India would be in for a tough time in Edgbaston, but the way they responded in Birmingham covered all the remaining bases. Mohammed Siraj picked up a six-wicket haul in the first innings before Akash Deep scalped six of his own in the second to hand India a resounding 336-run win. However, the only pacer that struggled was Prasidh Krishna, leaking 72 runs without taking a wicket.
Heading into the mecca of cricket, Team India had only one worrying factor – Prasidh’s form – but Bumrah’s return all but takes care of it. During a show on Sports Tak, when the legendary Sunil Gavaskar was asked how India would tackle this ‘headache’ of sorting their bowling combination out, the former captain’s take was simple. That it wasn’t a headache for head coach Gautam Gambhir, at least no longer -and that is because there’s no two ways that Prasidh must make way for the returning Bumrah.
"I think it’s clear. Prasidh Krishna has to go out because, in the first innings, he was a bit expensive. Even in Leeds, although he got a few wickets, he really didn’t look like he was going to break through. With Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, you’ve seen the number of top-class deliveries that they’ve bowled. And they might not have gotten wickets – the batters played and missed, and the ball rapped them on the pads. It has to be Prasidh because his length wasn’t quite right. I believe he will make way for Bumrah," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
What's ailing Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh has yet to fully discover his rhythm in Tests for India. Once he’s taken four-wicket hauls in five Tests – at Leeds, but hasn’t looked threatening, with either new ball or old. Prasidh has had his lingering issues with injuries, but his knack of giving away runs proves to be a huge detriment in his career, especially with more pacers waiting on the sidelines. Not too long ago, Prasidh emerged as the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2025, winning the Purple Cap with 25 wickets from 15 matches with the Gujarat Titans, but while his white-ball credentials are far superior, it’s the Test matches and challenging countries where he has yet to hit the top gear.
Even in Australia, where Prasidh grabbed three wickets each in Sydney, he was plagued with the same issue, of a higher economy rate of 5.41 in the second innings. One can argue that in Birmingham, he might have been bowling as short as per the plan, but even then, to go wicketless when Akash Deep and Siraj combined to take 10 proves that he may not be persisted with once Bumrah returns.