India’s bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will miss the fifth India vs England Test, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo. Before the series, the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had declared that Bumrah would play only three of the five Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to workload management. Bumrah has already played three of the four Tests so far in the series. However, with the fifth match being a series-deciding one, there was a school of thought regarding including Bumrah for the game at The Oval in London. However, the report said: “BCCI medical team has told Bumrah that the decision is in line with safeguarding his back and keeping the long-term in mind.”
Akash Deep, who missed the fourth Test with a groin injury, will most likely replace Jasprit Bumrah, the report added. In the second Test at Edgbaston, Akash Deep picked up a ten-wicket match haul.
Earlier, however, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak did not rule out Jasprit Bumrah‘s participation in the series deciding fifth Test against England, saying “he is fit as per his load.” Injury-prone pace spearhead Bumrah was earmarked for three Tests on the tour as part of his workload management but with the series on the line, he could play a fourth one.
After a dramatic draw at Manchester, head coach Gautam Gambhir also did not rule out the possibility of Bumrah featuring in the crunch game. Kotak reiterated that on Tuesday.
“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 said two days before the game.
At Old Trafford, Gambhir had also confirmed that all his pacers were fit, meaning that Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep have recovered from injuries.
Asked about the workload of Mohammed Siraj, who is the only Indian pacer to play all games, Kotak gave a detailed answer.
“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 that 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.
With PTI inputs
