The topic of Jasprit Bumrah’s workload has often been a hot topic of debate, even after assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted that the side is “leaning towards” playing him in the potentially series-deciding fourth Test in Manchester.
Former head coach Anil Kumble strongly advocated for the pace spearhead’s inclusion in the remaining two Tests, despite the team management’s pre-series decision to play the 31-year-old in only three of the five Tests.
Ahead of the Test tour of England, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir had announced that Bumrah will only play three games as part of his workload management. It meant that Bumrah played in Tests at Headingley and Lord’s while being rested from the Edgbaston game.
But with a week’s gap between the third and fourth Tests, Bumrah might feature in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, starting on July 23, as India, trailing 1-2, aim to square off the scoreline before heading to The Oval for the final game.
“I would certainly push for Bumrah to play the next game because that’s crucial. If he doesn’t play and India end up losing the Test, that’s it, the series would be done and dusted. Bumrah should feature in both the remaining Tests,” Kumble said on JioHotstar.
“Yes, he mentioned earlier that he would only play three matches, but there is a long break after this. He does not need to be part of the home series if he wants rest. But right now, Bumrah should be playing the next two,” added Kumble.
So far, Bumrah has picked up 12 wickets in just four innings, making him the second-highest wicket-taker in the series behind Mohammed Siraj.
On Thursday, Doeschate offered an update on the star pacer’s chances of playing the fourth Test, but a final call will only be taken after the team reaches Manchester.
“No, we’ll make that call in Manchester still. We know we’ve got him for one of the last two Tests. It’s pretty obvious the series is on the line now, so there will be a leaning towards playing him,” the Dutchman said.
During the practice session on Thursday, the Indian team had an injury scare as left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh suffered a cut on his bowling hand while trying to stop a ball and was seen with a bandage on.
Doeschate also stressed the importance of keeping an eye on Mohammed Siraj’s workload, considering the amount of cricket he has played over the last couple of years.
“It is equally important to manage the workload of someone like Mohammed Siraj, who is always ready to bowl those extra overs, like Stokes did on day five at Lord’s,” he said.
Doeschate even called Siraj a ‘Lion’ who gives his all on the field, even on days where he doesn’t get the returns he wants.
“We take for granted how lucky we are to have someone like that. I know he doesn’t always have the returns that you expect from a fast bowler, but in terms of heart, he’s like a lion and what he brings to this bowling attack, whenever he does have the ball in hand, you always feel like something’s going to happen,” he said.