Jasprit Bumrah has never played a Test match at Old Trafford, but it’s now that India needs him the most.
As the team heads to Manchester, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, the think tank has a tough task at hand as it needs to decide whether to play Bumrah in what could be a series-deciding fixture or follow the workload protocol and keep him fresh for the final game at The Oval.
Bumrah has featured in two Tests so far. He bowled 43.4 overs in Leeds and claimed a five-fer in the first innings before being rested in Birmingham, where India clinched a convincing victory, riding on the performances of a young pace attack led by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep.
He returned to Lord’s for the third Test and picked up seven wickets — including a five-wicket haul in the first essay — and bowled 43 overs. While the team management has been particular about ensuring that he doesn’t bowl longer spells at a stretch, it now faces the biggest challenge.
Even though India captain Shubman Gill kept the suspense after the Lord’s Test, saying, “You will get to know soon,” former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan believes that with the series on the line, Bumrah should play in Manchester.
“Every team management wants its best player to feature in every game, but the workload management also depends on the bowler’s fitness — whether he is feeling tired or not, whether there are any other complications. But there is an eight-day gap in between and that should be more than enough for recovery. Since it’s a series-decider, he must play, unless there’s an injury,” Irfan told The Hindu.
According to CricViz data, Bumrah has maintained an average of 1.031 degrees in terms of swing angle so far in the series, just behind Nitish Kumar Reddy (1.621) and Harry Brook (1.037).
However, in crunch situations like these, it’s not just about numbers. As Irfan points out, “a player picking and choosing games is never ideal for any team,” as it often unsettles the unit.
The options, too, are limited for India. While Siraj and Akash took charge of India’s bowling attack in Birmingham, Prasidh Krishna erred in line and length, and conceded 111 runs, with just one wicket. Shardul Thakur too failed to create an impact in the opening Test. And that’s why, Irfan believes there’s no option beyond Bumrah in a must-win game.
“This is the biggest five-match series that you would play abroad in this World Test Championship cycle, and in such a crunch situation, changing too much isn’t ideal — neither for the management nor for the fellow bowlers. In conditions like these, Bumrah’s presence adds a lot of value,” Irfan, who is currently in London, added.
After a short break, the Indian team will train at the Beckenham County ground on Thursday, where Bumrah is expected to have a full session. The team management will ‘observe and assess’ his fitness before taking a call on his availability for the big game.
