Bumrah could play at Old Trafford, hints Ten Doeschate as he can only play one of the two remaining Tests left.
India ‘leaning towards’ playing Bumrah at Old Trafford.
We get back to the subject of whether India would use Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth Test match against England in Manchester or if he will be rested for the final Test at The Oval. India intimated on Thursday that they are “leaning” towards Bumrah playing at Old Trafford, but a clear verdict should be forthcoming by the eve of the fourth Test, which starts on July 23.
“No, we’ll make that call [on Bumrah] in Manchester still,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said after the squad’s one-off training session in Beckenham before the visitors head to Manchester on Saturday. “We know we have got him for one of the last two Tests. It’s pretty obvious that the series on the line now in Manchester so there will be a leaning towards playing him.
“But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with The Oval. And looking at the last two games holistically as part of the series.”
After undergoing back surgery in March, Bumrah had a prearranged strategy, developed in consultation with the BCCI medical department, to play only three of the five Test matches in order to protect his back when he landed in England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
After playing in the series opener at Headingley, where he went wicketless in the second innings and picked up a five-for in the first, he missed the second Test match at Edgbaston. This gave England a 1-0 lead. In spite of Bumrah’s absence, India recovered in Edgbaston to tie the score at one.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri told Sky Cricket that the team management should make the final decision and that Bumrah should not be allowed to play in Birmingham even though there was an eight-day break between the first two Test matches.
Bumrah claimed seven wickets, including another five-for, in the first innings at Lord’s, which England prevailed in a fiercely contested Test match in the closing session. The third and fourth Tests will be separated by another eight days, so Bumrah will once more be the main focus. The management of the Indian squad now faces the difficult task of overseeing not only Bumrah’s workload but also that of Mohammed Siraj, their second strike bowler.
While performing their standard fitness exercises on Tuesday, Bumrah, Siraj, and Akash Deep—the three fast bowlers who represented India at Lord’s—did not bowl. The Lord’s humiliation was cemented when Siraj defended Bashir off the middle of his bat, only to have the ball roll back over his stumps. Siraj appeared to have recovered from the misery since then.
As Arshdeep left and the fast bowlers rested, bowling coach Morne Morkel took over. The former South Africa fast bowler, who delivered from in front of the popping crease, put every batter to the test with both his trademark steep bounce and seam movement in both directions, which forced edges or prompted polite enquires for leg before wicket.
India will travel to Manchester on July 19 and resume training on Sunday.