ENG vs IND: Will Jasprit Bumrah Play the Manchester Test? India Assistant Coach BREAKS Silence (WATCH)
Synopsis
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate hints at Jasprit Bumrah's return for the crucial fourth Test at Old Trafford. With the series at 1-2, Bumrah’s presence is vital, even as the team balances concerns over his workload.
Team India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has opened up on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the fourth Test of the five-match series against England at Old Trafford in Manchester, which will take place on July 23.
India are currently trailing 1-2 in the series following a heartbreaking 22-run defeat in the Lord’s Test. After the third Test loss and the series on the line, Jasprit Bumrah’s inclusion has become all the more crucial. The 31-year-old played the series opener at Headingley, where he picked a fifer in the first innings before going wicketless in the second innings, which proved costly as the visitors lost the match by 5 wickets.
Despite the Headingley Test defeat, Jasprit Bumrah rested for the Edgbaston Test, which India scripted history by a 336-run win, before returning to the playing XI to take seven wickets, including a fifer, at Lord’s. Since selectors and management have already decided to play Bumrah only in three Tests, there has been uncertainty over his availability for the Old Trafford Test.
‘There will be a leaning towards playing him’
Amid the uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in the Manchester Test, Ryan ten Doeschate dropped a massive hint on his availability for the crucial Test.
Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of Team India’s training session at Beckenham, the assistant coach revealed there are chances of playing Bumrah at Old Trafford, given the series is on the line after the Lord’s Test defeat. However, the decision will only be taken in Manchester.
“We’ll make that call in Manchester. We know we’ve got him for one of the last two Tests. I think it’s pretty obvious the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him." Ryan ten Doeschate said.
The selectors and team management were clear before the England Test tour that Bumrah would not be allowed to bowl longer spells to avoid getting injured during the crucial series. The decision was taken after the pacer was overburdened with the responsibility to lead the attack during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and due to which, he sustained a back injury in the Sydney Test, keeping him out of action for three months before making a comeback in the IPL 2025.
In the ongoing Test series against England, Jasprit Bumrah has bowled 86.4 overs and picked 12 wickets, including two fifers, at an average of 21.00 in four innings.
Team India has yet to win a Test match at Old Trafford
Meanwhile, Team India has not won a single Test in their last nine appearances at Old Trafford in Manchester. India played their first Test at Old Trafford in 1936, and since then, they have featured in nine matches, losing four and drawing 5, with their last outing being in 2014.
In 2021, the fifth Test between England and India was supposed to take place in Manchester, but was rescheduled to July 2022 at Edgbaston due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. The Old Trafford in Manchester remains the only venue in England where India have yet to win a Test. Shubman Gill-led Team India ended their 58-year winless streak at Edgbaston earlier in the series.
With India’s fate in the Test series hanging in the balance and Old Trafford being a historically unfavourable venue for them, Jasprit Bumrah’s inclusion in the playing XI could be the X-factor needed to script a turnaround and keep India alive in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.