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However, the absence of Bumrah in the series due to a fitness clearance issue from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE) could be a major blow to the bowling attack, putting the pressure solely on Siraj.

Meanwhile, Manav Suthar's test debut against Afghanistan in June 2026 surprised selectors, offering a sign of confidence and hope for the bowling lineup besides Siraj. However, Gurnoor Brar's inclusion still remains a concern, as this will be his debut for the Test and he has not been quite impressive in the white-ball formats that he has played ODIs against Afghanistan and England.

Experienced pacer Navdeep Saini opens up

Amid all this, questions also arise about another pacer, Navdeep Saini, who made his debut in 2019 under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and last played his International cricket against Sri Lanka on July 28, 2021. Since then, he has not been part of Team India, though he still continues to prove his skills at the domestic level and in the IPL.

The 33-year-old pacer, who is part of Outer Delhi Warriors, has taken nine wickets in 6 matches so far in the ongoing third edition of the Delhi Premier League T20. He expressed his view about his way of giving advice to young cricketers as an experienced bowler at the domestic level and implementing different bowling attacks across formats and tournaments.

Reacting to WION about the way he advises young bowlers, he said, "If young bowlers ask me about targeting a particular batsman with a plan, then I have a conversation and suggest accordingly."

Sharing his thoughts on judgement and using different skills based on the pressure of the different formats, including DPL and IPL, the pacer from Outer Delhi Warriors said, " When we play continuously, we have different experiences of different formats. When we play DPL, IPL or any other domestic matches, then with the advent of time and experience we develop ideas of executing our skills. New players might face problems at the initial stage of the different formats, but as we gain experience, we learn to manage pressure accordingly, and we keep learning until we retire from cricket."

When asked about the tough part he came across while playing for 3 different franchises in the cash-rich league: RCB, KKR and Rajasthan Royals, he responded, "While playing for three different franchises, the tough part was playing on RCB's ground as it is very small and a flat pitch, which made me think a bit while planning and bowling. However, I enjoyed playing at RCB as I didn't face much trouble while delivering balls."

Towards the end, when asked about who is the one batsman that he found the toughest to bowl to. His answer was not Virat or Steve Smith or Joe Root but Rishabh Pant.