&w=3840&q=100)
Big boost for India ahead of Manchester Test; Pant, Bumrah set to play with series on line
Rishabh Pant injured his finger in 3rd Test, while Jasprit Bumrah is slated to play just three games. Image: Reuters
With India trailing 1-2 in the five-match Test series against England, the visitors face a must-win situation in the remaining two games. However, the big question ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester is whether Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant will feature in the playing XI.
Bumrah, who was rested for the Edgbaston Test to manage his workload, was earlier expected to play only three matches in the series, as confirmed by head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Shubman Gill and the bowler himself. With two games left and the series on the line, fans are eagerly waiting to know which match Bumrah will be rested for next.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Will Bumrah play Manchester Test?
Gill refused to give a clear answer about Bumrah's inclusion after a narrow 22-run defeat in the third Test at Lord's, saying, 'You'll get to know soon' when asked about team selection. However, a Sky Sports report suggests that Bumrah is likely to play the crucial fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Bumrah has been receiving a lot of criticism over his decision to play just three Test matches in the ongoing five-match series against England. After missing out on the second Test when India were 1-0 down in the contest, several experts questioned the decision to rest Bumrah despite a seven-day rest period between games.
Pant set to play 4th Test
Meanwhile, there were concerns about Rishabh Pant's availability after the wicketkeeper-batter hurt his finger in the first innings at Lord's. Pant was replaced by Dhruv Jurel to keep for the rest of the match. But Gill confirmed that Pant's scans showed no major injury, making him almost certain to play in Manchester.
The report also suggested the same that Pant will play the much-anticipated fourth Test match in Manchester. Pant will reportedly take the gloves is expected to play a crucial role as India eye a victory to level the contest. The fourth Test is slated to begin on 23 July at Old Trafford.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Generations will talk about what Pant did for this team: Gautam Gambhir
Manchester, Head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday said the character and foundation of the current Indian team will be built on the remarkable act of courage from Rishabh Pant, who batted in the first innings of the fourth Test with a broken right foot. HT Image Pant added crucial first innings runs for the team despite batting with a fractured foot after missing a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on day one. He managed to get a half-century, helping India post 358 on day two. Pant was not required to bat in the second innings as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar guided India to a morale-boosting draw with a century each to keep the series alive. "Rishabh already, it's been declared that he's out of the series. And one thing I want to say is that the character and the foundation of this team will be built on what Rishabh did for the team and for the country as well," said Gambhir in the post-match media interaction. "Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. Not many people have done that in the past. And he had put his hand up, and that is why I say any amount of praise... "I can sit here and talk about this for hours and hours. I think the generations to come forward will talk about this. And generations coming forward should talk about it, that there is someone who has batted with a broken foot. And it's unfortunate because of the kind of form he was in. "But again, he's an important member of the Test side. And I hope he recovers quickly and comes back quickly and try and deliver a game for us," said the former India batter. All fast bowlers are fit for final Test, no call taken on Bumrah yet ========================================== Gambhir also gave an important update on the fitness of the fast bowlers who have had to deal with heavy workload and injuries over the course of the five-match series. Having mentioned earlier that Jasprit Bumrah would be playing only three Tests due to workload management, Gambhir said no call is taken yet on his participation at The Oval. For the record, the Manchester Test was Bumrah's third of the tour but with the series still on the line, he might just play in London. "All the fast bowlers are there. There is no injury scare," Gambhir asserted. That means that Akash Deep has fully recovered from his groin injury and Arshdeep Singh from his hand injury. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.


Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Motor racing-Different horsepower for Horner as Red Bull enter new era
By Alan Baldwin HT Image SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, July 27 (Reuters) - Former Red Bull team boss Christian Horner posted a video on social media of himself riding on horseback in the English countryside on the day of the Belgian Grand Prix. "Different horse power this Sunday," read the simple caption. Spa-Francorchamps marked the start of a new era for the former Formula One champions, the first race without Horner -- dismissed two weeks ago -- at the helm since Red Bull entered the sport in 2005. New boss Laurent Mekies started with a win, with Max Verstappen taking the Saturday sprint, and then a frustrating fourth place for the Dutch four-times world champion in the main Sunday grand prix. Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda failed to score for the sixth race in a row. Apart from expressing surprise at the long delay in getting the race started, due to heavy rain, Mekies avoided any polemic. He blamed the team for Tsunoda's blank, saying the Japanese had done a great job in qualifying but was called in too late for his pitstop in a mistake that cost him three or four positions. "After two weeks at the factory, trying to meet as many people as possible, it was nice to also meet the race team," said the Frenchman when asked to assess the weekend. "To also enter into the race dynamics and see how the flows and the processes and preparation are. That was super-good in terms of getting to know the team. As you would imagine, it's a team where everything is done at the mega level." Horner's absence was the talk of the paddock but by the time the circus regroups in Budapest next week, the conversation is likely to have moved on. "I think Laurent is very good. The sport moves on quickly, so it probably won't be something that we're talking about come Monday," McLaren boss Zak Brown told Sky Sports television. "He (Horner) had fantastic results. It's a shame to kind of go out the way he did." Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said earlier in the weekend that he would miss his old sparring partner and Netflix 'Drive to Survive' protagonist -- in a way -- and expected him to return sooner or later. "I don't think he's gone forever. I think he's going to pop up in some kind of other function," said the Austrian. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
Steely determination of Indian batting lineup runs England ragged at Old Trafford, keeps Test series alive
This England side 'don't do draws' – indeed this is the first of the Bazball era that hasn't involved two solid days of rain – but they were forced to at Old Trafford, slowly ground into stalemate by the relentless determination of India's rearguard. read more The Indian and English teams shook hands for a draw soon as Washington Sundar brought up his maiden international hundred on the final day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. Reuters The great escape is complete, the series still live. From a first innings deficit of 311 India have done what was once unthinkable, that right now feels a lot more like a win. This England side 'don't do draws' – indeed this is the first of the Bazball era that hasn't involved two solid days of rain – but they were forced to at Old Trafford, slowly ground into stalemate by the relentless determination of India's rearguard. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At lunch on Day Four India were so far behind the game that to say they were dead and buried almost felt like understatement. They had conceded 669 – the most runs any side has scored in an innings at Old Trafford – and then for good measure lost two wickets inside the first over of their reply. That though was counting against the steely determination of this India batting lineup that, even shorn of Rishabh Pant, defied the odds to pull off a draw that by the end had them running England ragged. Floodgates remain shut despite Gill and Rahul's early dismissals While the groundwork was laid on Day Four – KL Rahul and Shubman Gill's monumental 174-run partnership moved the needle for the tourists from 'certain defeat' to 'in with a chance of a draw' – India still arrived on the final day with England strong favourites to seal a series-clinching win. For all that Rahul and Gill had resisted the England onslaught there was a sense that should both men be removed then the floodgates might open for a home side boosted by the assistance of a final day pitch. Rahul and Gill did both fall before lunch, an outcome England would gladly have accepted before the start of play, the proverbial floodgates however remained firmly closed. England pacer Jofra Archer celebrates as India captain Shubman Gill departs shortly after completing his century on the final day of the fourth Test in Manchester. Reuters A lot has been made of India's team selection throughout this series, they have opted in every Test to try and have it both ways, bolstering both batting and bowling departments with the deployment of all rounders, instead of perhaps committing more wholeheartedly to the strengthening of one – selecting the wicket taking talents of Kuldeep Yadav for example. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here though, at the fourth time of asking, that strategy came good, the batting depth provided by the selection of Washington Sundar – even more so in the absence of Pant – a crucial cog in India's dramatic escape. At lunch on the final day India were 223/4, still over 100 runs behind and with only five batsmen left – or six if you included the one-legged Pant, whose participation was far from guaranteed – a large proportion of which comprised India's somewhat vertiginous tail. Jadeja and Sundar resist everything England throw at them Sundar and Jadeja were however unbowed, able to resist everything England threw at them, as well as any final day unpleasantness from the pitch, to secure a result that had seemed beyond them for most of this Test. England may look back and rue one moment in particular – Jadeja dropped first ball by Joe Root at first slip – agonisingly unable to cling on at first, second or even third attempt, as the left hander flashed at a delivery from Jofra Archer. But that chance aside England struggled to really threaten. Even with the assistance of the pitch Liam Dawson looked largely innocuous – only 11 men have bowled as many overs as him in the fourth innings of a game and conceded more runs – and Ben Stokes aside England's pacemen struggled to create any meaningful jeopardy for the visitors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Scored a hundred, saved the Test, farmed ♾ aura! 💁♂#RavindraJadeja didn't hesitate, till the end 👀#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st July, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar! — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025 Ultimately England were so cowed they attempted to shake hands on a draw at the earliest moment possible, but India with Sundar and Jadeja both looking to notch a Test match hundred batted on – the hosts reduced to bowling Harry Brook as the game drew to a close. Both men would make hundreds, a first in Tests for Washington Sundar, their unbroken partnership of 203 had rescued a draw for India and rendered next week's clash at The Oval all to play for. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD