India head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and the rest of the fast-bowling unit are fit and available for the fifth and final Test against England, starting Thursday at The Oval.
Photo: IANS
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and the rest of the fast-bowling unit are fit and available for the fifth and final Test against England, starting Thursday at The Oval.
With the five-match series on the line and India looking to level it and stay competitive in the new ICC World Test Championship cycle, the team faces a selection puzzle in the pace department.
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Bumrah, currently ranked No.1 in the ICC men’s Test bowling rankings, has already played three Tests in the series and fulfilled the pre-series workload targets. Yet, with the decider looming, he remains in contention to lead the attack once again.
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Gambhir also confirmed that both Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh have recovered from their injuries and are in the mix for selection, giving India a full-strength pace arsenal to choose from for the series finale in south London.
“All the fast bowlers are fit. There are no injury concerns. We haven’t had any conversation around the combination for the last Test,” Gambhir said after India’s marathon batting effort helped them secure a draw in Manchester.
“No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try and do the job for the country.”
India skipper Shubman Gill was also positive about the 31-year-old’s availability at The Oval and suggested that the right-armer would be considered for the series finale.
“If he (Bumrah) feels like he’s fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us,” Gill said.
“If he’s not playing, I still think we have the right kind of bowling attack.”
India may be tempted to include Bumrah in their XI for the Oval Test, with a victory at the iconic venue meaning the five-match series would end 2-2, keeping the team in touch with the leaders on the World Test Championship standings.
The side will also be keen to collect some more points in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, with Gill’s team currently sitting in fourth place on the standings with a percentage of just 33.33 percent through four matches.
Jagadeesan replaces Pant for final Test
India have already announced keeper Rishabh Pant will miss the fifth Test due to a foot injury, with uncapped back-up Narayan Jagadeesan added to the squad and in contention to feature in the series finale.
“Rishabh Pant is out of the series. Any amount of praise is not enough for him, to bat with a broken foot. Not many people have done that in the past. That is why generations should talk about it, and future generations should also talk about it. It’s unfortunate because of the kind of form he was in. I hope he recovers and comes back quickly. He is a very important member of the Test side,” said Gambhir in the post-game conference.
England bolster line-up with Overton’s addition
The addition of Jamie Overton was the only change made in the England squad ahead of the Oval Test. The 31-year-old has featured in one Test prior to this game, where he scored 97 runs and picked two wickets.
After an exhausting five-day Test at Old Trafford, where England bowlers were made to toil for over 250 overs, the home side added Overton to the squad. The decision comes with just a three-day turnaround before the series decider, as the management looks to manage the wear and tear on the bowling unit.
The 31-year-old will provide valuable depth if the side decides to toss up whether to tinker with their XI, with Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook and Josh Tongue all a chance to be included should the side decide to rest star pacer Jofra Archer or first-choice duo Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse.
Skipper Ben Stokes has been England’s best bowler across the first four matches of the series despite some ongoing injury ailments, but the inspirational captain suggested he would be fit to take the field in the series decider with the side’s next Test after the London showdown not until the opening clash of the Ashes series against Australia in November.
“It’s been a pretty big workload so far in the series,” Stokes admitted.
“I had a big week last week at Lord’s, with time spent out in the middle with bat in hand and obviously overs bowled, and then same again this week. I said it a few times to the guys out there: ‘Pain is just an emotion.’ It’s just one of those things.
“It is actually my bicep tendon. It obviously had quite a lot of workload through it, just been creeping around. But yeah, (I have spent) a lot of time out in the middle doing my job as an all-rounder this week and (it) just got a little bit flared up. It didn’t get any worse throughout the day, just stayed the same, so that’s why I kept on going.
“Hopefully, it settles down and we’ll be good as gold for the last game…I don’t want to eat my words, but the likelihood that I won’t play is very unlikely.”
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