IND vs ENG: Jasprit Bumrah certain for Manchester Test, Anshul Kamboj primed for debut

Time of India

22-07-2025

Jasprit Bumrah (PTI Photo)
MANCHESTER: The pitches in the practice area at Old Trafford here were visibly damp on Monday morning, but the good news is the sun broke out for the first time after two days of wet weather.
The Indian players treaded cautiously.
Jasprit Bumrah
bowled a few balls in the nets before deciding to go to the centre square and bowl on a drier run-up area.
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It has been an uncertain week for the Indian team. Injuries to Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy have hurt their plans going into the fourth Test match here on Wednesday, and Mohammed Siraj confirmed that Bumrah will be playing the Test match.
'Jassi bhai (Bumrah) has to play now,' Siraj joked at the media briefing.
Rishabh Pant too donned the wicketkeeping gloves and went through extensive drills. Anshul Kamboj, having joined the team two nights ago, was the centre of attention during India's practice session.
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The 24-year-old medium pacer from Haryana appears to have a very good chance of making his Test debut. He bowled with the new ball in the same net as Siraj, Bumrah and Shardul Thakur. Prasidh Krishna only bowled later in the session. Kamboj looked particularly impressive, hitting consistent lengths for over an hour while bowling to India's top batters
Yashasvi Jaiswal
, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.
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Had it not been for a shin niggle, Kamboj would have stayed back in England after the conclusion of the India 'A' tour which preceded this series. He was impressive while playing for India 'A' and is known for bowling long and accurate spells in domestic cricket. The nets on Monday were both about trials and training.
Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Jaiswal, Gill and Pant batted simultaneously. They took turns to face the throwdown specialist, lead pacers and the spinners.
Vice-captain Pant was particularly vocal in the nets. He was constantly chatting with his fellow batters and acknowledged the bowlers' efforts. Gill too had an eye on everyone and was involved in talking about how each one felt while batting.
Gill and Pant had an intense discussion before hitting the nets. It is obvious the team management is in a fix over getting the combination right. Captain Gill believed he had struck the balance in the second and third Tests.
Gill and Pant had an intense discussion before hitting the nets. The morning was all about monitoring how each player could fit in.
Akash Deep, recovering from a groin injury, ran gingerly in the warmups before he bowled alone on the centre square, with the physios supervising him. Siraj later said a call will be taken on Akash on Tuesday morning.
There's a tendency to go back to the combination India played in the first Test of the series.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak went up to Sudharsan and patted him for an intense batting session. Both Nair and Sudharsan started out in the slip cordon during the slip-catching drills.
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'I don't know about the combination yet. Akash Deep has an issue with his groin but he bowled for quite some time at the centre square. Anshul has come in because Arshdeep hurt his hand. I just want to wish him good luck,' Siraj said.
The bowling attack appeared to have settled down after the first three Tests.
India were even prepared for Bumrah to sit out of this game. There's a strong chance the pace attack could look different.
'The way the pace attack is starting to look different, we are talking about being consistent with our line and lengths. They played with a lot of patience in the last Test but we can't think about it. If someone new comes in, he too has to just focus on hitting the good areas and stay patient,' Siraj said.
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With Reddy getting ruled out of the series, the team management has to be convinced Washington Sundar is ready to take on more responsibility as a batter at No. 7 if they don't go in with both Sudharsan and Nair at No. 3 and No. 6 respectively.
Kamboj has the ability to contribute with the bat down the order. The issue is whether he can be consistent enough to be the third pacer, since Thakur can only be a fourth pacer. It appears the Indian team has prepared two sets of combinations. They will wait for Tuesday's practice session to firm up the XI they want to go in with.
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