It’s Jasprit Bumrah’s break time. The Indian pacer was expected to be rested for the third Test of the ongoing England series but will now be allowed to miss the next Test in Ranchi. Whether he will feature in the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala remains to be decided and could depend on the result of the fourth Test, which begins on February 23.
The Indian team is scheduled to depart from Rajkot and Bumrah on Tuesday (February 20), but it is unlikely that he will travel with the team. He is likely to drive to Ahmedabad, a four-hour drive from Rajkot, on Monday itself. There is no information that other players have skipped the next test.
The decision to give Bumrah time off is part of the workload management of the Indian team. In the last three games, Bumrah has already amassed 80.5 overs and is the series’ top wicket-taker (17 wickets at 13.64).
🚨 NEWS 🚨
Jasprit Bumrah released from squad for 4th Test.
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For the second Test in Visakhapatnam, Mohammed Siraj was likewise given a break.
There is currently no information on whether the team management will look for a replacement for Bumrah. Mukesh Kumar has been released from the third Test to play in Bengal’s match against Ranji and is expected to re-join the Ranchi squad. India also have another Bengali seamer, Akash Deep, in their squad and the 27-year-old was called into the squad for the first time ahead of the Rajkot Test.
The team management and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are understood to be awaiting an update on KL Rahul’s fitness status. The Karnataka batsman was expected to join up with the team in Rajkot on Saturday but has not yet done so. It is not yet clear whether he is fully healthy again. Before the third test, the BCCI announced that Rahul’s health condition was 90 per cent.
R Ashwin will travel to Ranchi with the Indians on Monday. The top-spinner had to temporarily leave the game to look after his ailing mother in Chennai and joined up with his teammates in Rajkot before the start of England’s second innings on Saturday. BCCI chartered a plane for his surprise visit to Chennai and his scheduled return.