Team India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has opined on his workload management ahead of the upcoming Test series against England. He also confirmed that he would play the first game, but will most probably play two more Tests to keep himself injury-free.

Speaking to Dinesh Karthik on Sky Sports, Bumrah stated (as quoted by India Today): “I’m definitely looking at playing three Test matches. That’s the plan for now. Obviously, the exact number is not fixed yet, but the first one is certainly on. We’ll have to see how things go — the workload, the match scenarios, all of that. But yes, at this moment, three Tests is what I feel I can manage comfortably without putting myself in a desperate situation. Also, there’s another side to it. As a captain, I can’t just dictate terms saying, ‘I’ll only play three games.’ That doesn’t send the right message to the team.”

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However, he was in the race to replace Rohit Sharma as the full-time Test captain. But he revealed that he had informed the BCCI that he did not want to lead the team as he wouldn’t be playing all the matches as well.

He also said, as quoted by The Hindustan Times: “Before Rohit and Virat retired during the IPL, I had spoken to the BCCI about my workloads going forward in a five-test match series. I’ve spoken to the people who have managed my back. I’ve spoken to the surgeon as well, who’s always spoken to me about how smart you have to be about the workloads. So I did speak to him, and then we came to the conclusion that I have to be a little smarter. So then I called the BCCI and said I don’t want to be looked at in a leadership role because I won’t be able to give all the Test matches in a five-test match series.”