India, June 20 -- India's long summer in England begins with the first Test in Headingley, and while the visitors are entering a new red-ball chapter under Shubman Gill, their biggest hope remains a familiar one. Jasprit Bumrah, fresh off a stellar run of form in the Indian Premier League, stands as the defining figure for India in a series that promises unrelenting tempo from Ben Stokes' England.

For all the talk about transition and new beginnings, Bumrah remains India's lynchpin. In a side where youth will be tested against England's audacious 'Bazball' blueprint, it is Bumrah who India will pin their hopes on to orchestrate the counter.

The pace spearhead was sensational during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, unsettlin...