IND vs ENG: India coach Gautam Gambhir provides update on pacers' fitness and availability for series decider at The Oval

Time of India

5 days ago

Jasprit Bumrah during day three of the Fourth Test vs England at Old Trafford (Photo by)
Manchester:
It's been over 50 days since the Indian team arrived here in England, and
Jasprit Bumrah
's workload has been the focal point of India's planning ahead of each Test. As India's batters were pulling off a fighting draw at Old Trafford,
Bumrah
's availability for the last Test — starting at Oval in London on Thursday — again became a point of discussion.
At the start of the tour, head coach
Gautam Gambhir
had confirmed that the team management had planned to play Bumrah in only three of the five Tests. India go to London 1-2 down in the series, and Bumrah has already played his quota of three Tests. It's a tricky situation for both Bumrah and the team management. Will the team deviate from the three-Test plan regarding Bumrah's availability, since now there is a big opportunity to come out of the gruelling series with a 2-2 scoreline?
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'There has been no talk about it (Bumrah playing at the Oval).
And no such decision has been made on whether Bumrah (will) play in the last Test. Ultimately, whoever plays, they'll try and do the job for the country,' Gambhir said after the fourth Test.
Bumrah's susceptibility to breaking down in the middle of a Test has given the caretakers of Indian cricket sleepless nights. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) doesn't want a repeat of the incident in the Sydney Test at the beginning of the year.
In Australia, the medical team working on Bumrah believed that his long and intense spell in the Test in Melbourne may have triggered the back injury in Sydney. TOI understands that Bumrah is now advised to bowl 45–50 overs maximum per Test.
Bumrah bowled just 33 overs in the last Test in Manchester. This was after an eight-day break after the third Test at Lord's. TOI has learnt there have been murmurs in BCCI corridors around Bumrah's pick-and-choose policy in Test cricket.
He was not given the Test captaincy only because he would not be available for every Test.
The BCCI is not comfortable with the selectors and the team management going into a series without knowing if Bumrah will be available for the entire series. It is being considered whether he should make himself available for an entire series, or not at all. Sources said that when the fourth Test began with Bumrah in the XI, it was almost certain that he will give the Oval Test a miss.
'All the fast bowlers are there. There is no injury scare,' was Gambhir's curt reply to a query around the fitness of the pace attack.
Gambhir asserted that he doesn't prefer the term 'transition' while discussing the Test team playing in England. He believes this team may be inexperienced, but it's the best team that India have. He doesn't like to hide behind the words 'transition' and 'inexperience'. 'You're asking someone who only believes in results.
And I've always said that in the past as well, I believe in results. Yes, there is inexperience, but this is still the best Indian team right now.
We're still down 1-2. Hopefully, we can try and make it 2-2. That's going to be a great achievement,' Gambhir said.
Poll
Is the decision to limit Bumrah's Tests to three justified?
Yes, to manage his workload
No, he should play all Tests
It's a tough call
It will be interesting to see if India risk Bumrah. His speed, after all, had come down significantly on the third evening of the third Test, where he returned figures of 2/112, his poorest show in his seven-year-long Test career.
India's only win has come when Bumrah opted to sit out of the second Test at Edgbaston. It's not that the Indian bowling can't hold its own without him.
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