Bumrah will not play in the Oval Test against England; Akash Deep is expected to take his place
Bumrah will not play in the Oval Test against England; Akash Deep is expected to take his place
Indian cricket team star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is likely to miss the crucial fifth Test against England at The Oval due to workload management. Akash Deep is expected to replace him in the XI.
Jasprit Bumrah won't play in the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval starting Thursday. The BCCI’s medical team advised resting him to protect his back and think about the long run. This decision isn’t surprising, Bumrah was only supposed to play three of the five Tests during the England tour.
He played the first Test at Headingley, missed the second at Edgbaston (which India won), and returned for the third and fourth Tests. At Old Trafford, Bumrah didn’t bowl after the fourth day, and with only a short break before the final match, India briefly considered changing their plan. But they stuck to the original strategy, especially since Bumrah looked tired and wasn’t bowling as fast. He bowled 33 overs in that game, gave away over 100 runs, and his pace dropped noticeably through the series.
Despite that, Bumrah still shares the second-highest wicket-taker spot with Siraj, at 14 wickets. Initially, coach Gautam Gambhir said Bumrah was available for the final Test, but India later chose to rest him.
Akash Deep is set to step in. He missed the fourth Test with a minor groin injury but looked sharp in practice. He had impressed earlier with a ten-wicket haul at Edgbaston. Although he struggled in the Lord’s Test, conditions at The Oval may suit him.
India’s selectors now face a tough task in picking a balanced bowling lineup, especially since other pacers Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, and Anshul Kamboj haven’t performed well. Siraj, who has played every Test and bowled a lot of overs, will lead the pace attack again, though managing his workload is a concern. The third pacer could be either Prasidh or Arshdeep Singh, who appears fit again after a hand injury.
With Rishabh Pant still out, Dhruv Jurel will take up wicketkeeping duties. Though he's bold with the bat, his lack of experience in English conditions may lead India to keep Thakur for his batting skills, meaning Kuldeep Yadav will likely miss out again.
Considering the green patches on the Oval pitch and expected cloudy weather, India may stick with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as their spinners. Fast bowlers have dominated at this venue in domestic matches this season, picking up most of the wickets, especially during Surrey’s high-scoring game against Durham using Kookaburra balls.