IND vs ENG: Jasprit Bumrah to miss 5th Test against England, Edgbaston hero likely to replace him in Playing
India’s pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Kennington Oval, London, starting on July 31. It was announced before the series that Bumrah will play three Tests in the series as part of his workload management.
As per ESPNCricinfo, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medial team has informed the fast bowler that the decision has been taken to manage his workload, keeping long-term goal in mind.
So far, Bumrah has bowled a total of 119.4 overs in the three Tests he played. In the Indian lineup, only Mohammed Siraj (139 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (136.1 overs) have bowled more than him. Both Jadeja and Siraj have played all four Tests of the series so far.
Bumrah is the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the series. He has taken 14 wickets at an average of 26, including two five-wicket hauls. Siraj has taken 14 wickets but an average of 39.71, including one fifer. Only England captain Ben Stokes has more wickets (17) than Bumrah in the series.
In Bumrah’s absence, Akash Deep is likely to walk into the side after missing the fourth Test due to a groin niggle. Also, India have the option to hand Test debut cap to left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh who was ruled out of the fourth Test due to an injury he suffered in the nets. Prasidh Krishna is another pacer in the squad but he has been expensive.
Another option to replace Anshul Kamboj is left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav who hasn’t played a single Test in the series despite calls from several legendary players to include him in the playing
India’s squad for 5th Test –
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, Sai Sudharsan, Narayan Jagadeesan
In cricket, accusations of “chucking,” or unlawful bowling motions, have been a recurring issue. These are debated by both experts and fans when it is suspected that a bowler’s elbow extension exceeds the allowed limit. Accused bowlers frequently undergo extensive biomechanical testing to confirm their rule-breaking behaviour.Such criticism has been directed at even the most successful and gifted bowlers, resulting in action modifications and regulatory adjustments. Many have modified their methods and come back stronger despite these obstacles. They have been able to maintain their top performance in the sport because of their tenacity.
‘bumrah is fit according to his load’: india coach drops huge update on pace spearhead ahead of oval test
India would want Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI for the fifth Test, but they wouldn’t need a half-fit, prone to mid-match breakdown kind of player in a must-win clash. Bumrah looked drained out in Manchester, and even though Gautam Gambhir said that all his bowlers are fit, Bumrah’s participation is doubtful.
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak echoed Gambhir’s sentiments and said that Bumrah is fit, but did not provide any confirmation if the ace pacer will play the Oval Test.
“Bumrah is fit now according to his load. He has bowled one inning in the last match. So that obviously head coach, our physio and captain, they will have a discussion and decide. There has been no discussion,” Kotak was quoted by PTI.
Mohammed Siraj has played all four Tests, and there are concerns about his workload. Kotak provided a detailed explanation for Siraj’s workload management and said that his bowling load is very high, but it’s within his limits.
“So, I don’t know what you guys think about the actual workload. So, if I tell you quickly, before the Test series, if a bowler puts in a certain amount of overs per week, that if he’s preparing for T20 and putting in 20 overs, 25 overs, 6 overs every day, or putting in 6 overs for five days, that is good enough workload for T20.
“They have a GPS. It shows the record of how many overs the bowler has put in throughout the week. And they’re in constant touch with the bowling coach. So, the build-up of the last 4–5 weeks, you need to determine if there’s no spike in it.
“So, what’s the spike? If a bowler is putting in 30 overs per week, and suddenly, in the first innings, he’s put in 35 overs, then that’s the spike in his load. So, the number of overs that Siraj is putting in every week, it’s not necessary that it’s due to practice.
“That load is due to the match as well. So, then, another thing depends on whether Siraj himself, or the physios, or his body feels that, no, I’m tired. Then, they will think about the load. Otherwise, his bowling load is very high, is very good. So, there’s no chance of a spike in it,” added Kotak.