Mumbai, June 8 -- Some one-on-one battles have the power to shape the course of a team contest. Especially when bowlers begin to play with a key batter's psyche - whether it was Shane Warne leaving Daryll Cullinan in a tailspin, Glenn McGrath rolling over Michael Atherton, Zaheer Khan making short work of Graeme Smith... the list is a long one. But few did it like Jasprit Bumrah versus Usman Khawaja during the last Australian summer. "I was just getting Bumrah'ed," Khwaja would say after six dismissals across eight innings. English wicket-keeper batter Jamie Smith is already in awe of Bumrah. "Hopefully, (bat) down at No. 7, I can watch other lads go and face him first," he said. That's the effect Bumrah can have on his opponents. India's No1 pacer can well find a new bunny on the England tour but that is only if his body supports him. To his credit, on returning to T20s in the IPL after back troubles in the Sydney Test in January, the speedster has looked fit but the five-Test series in England will be his real challenge. "Any adaptation to new weather conditions takes about 10 days to two weeks when you are switching formats," said Ramji Srinivasan, former strength and conditioning coach of the Indian team. "Moving from T20 to Test cricket is tricky because your workload can go up four to five times from 4-overs-a-day, spells are longer. Your acute workload has to be built gradually, until you reach a stage when you are bowling in the nets with near-match intensity and volume as you do in a match." Having recovered from a stress reaction in his lower back, it's clear Bumrah will not play all five Tests. Australia will probably be the last and only time in his 45-Test career that Bumrah attempted to play five Tests in a series. His impact was freakish - 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 and a strike rate of 28.3; the best for any Indian bowler in an away series. But by taking almost 25% of bowling load among 9 Indian bowlers used during the series, his workload management was botched up and he failed to complete the final Test. "A lot of injuries happen because of overloading," said Srinivasan. "In the lead up to the England series, the balls he will bowl, at what speed, how many days in a week, distance he will cover, his throws in fielding, everything must be considered. Only the physios and trainer cannot decide. The head coach, fielding coach, the bowling coach, physio, S&C, all have to be involved in designing a program." Bumrah has been consulting with New Zealand-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Rowan Schouten who operated on his back in 2023. Among alternatives suggested to manage his workload, there is one that will only see Bumrah to play alternate Test matches, HT learned. This may change based on how Bumrah's body holds up. The team management would also factor in the week-long break before the second and fourth Test of the series. "We haven't taken that call, which three games is he going to play," Gambhir said during India's pre-departure press conference on Thursday. "We are going to have a discussion with him. A lot will depend on the results of the series, where the series is heading." Without a sports science head - BCCI is yet to fill a vacancy - Bumrah's understanding of his own body's coping mechanism in consultation with on-tour physios will guide the team management on utilising their pace ace. Although the selectors have packed the squad with six more pace bowling options, India with and without Bumrah is like chalk and cheese. In Tests that he has played since making his debut, Bumrah has picked up nearly double the wickets (205 at Avg of 19.4) to second-placed R Ashwin. In SENA countries, his wickets, average and strike rate are well above other Indian pacers across generations Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan and Kapil Dev. Where Bumrah falls short is continuity. The fast bowler has missed nearly 35% of the Tests India has played since debut. Given his importance to India's fortunes across formats, he will continue to pick and choose. It will also be interesting to see how young captain Shubman Gill utilises his leading pacer given that even the number of short bursts will need to be controlled. With the series on the line, Rohit Sharma used Bumrah in nine short bursts on Day four of the Melbourne Test. Overworked and spent, Bumrah told his captain, "Bas, ab aur nahi lag raha zor (Enough, I can't push it anymore)." As Shane Watson, former Australian bowling all-rounder, recently told HT, "India can't push the breaking point with Bumrah again."...