Archer back in England squad, but India could miss Bumrah in Birmingham

The inclusion of pacer Jofra Archer has bolstered England's squad for the second Test, while it has emerged that India could be without star player Jasprit Bumrah due to workload management.

England on Thursday announced the addition of Archer to the squad for the Birmingham Test, starting on July 2. "The 30-year-old right-arm quick returns to the England Test set-up for the first time since February 2021 and will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week," the ECB said in a statement.

Archer had been sidelined with an elbow-related injury to his bowling arm. He last played a Test four years ago in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports about Bumrah's unavailability for the second game of the five-match series, though the BCCI has yet to confirm this.

Ahead of the opening Test, Bumrah said he will not play the entire series due to fitness issues. However, he was looking forward to playing the first three Test matches. It is understood that the management wants Bumrah to be available for the final match at Lord's should the series go down to the wire.

Jofra might struggle to break into the XI straight away, as the English quicks were effective in the series opener. Josh Tongue finished with seven wickets (4/86, 3/72), while Brydon Carse claimed four from the match. Chris Woakes was not as successful with the ball (1//45) but played a crucial role with the bat, scoring 38 in the first innings, which helped England cut down India's lead to just six runs.