One face that has been haunting England was absent when Team India arrived in Ranchi. The Indian Express has already reported that the selectors and team management have decided to give star pacer Jasprit Bumrah a break to manage his workload, so the hosts will not have him on the field for the fourth Test. India’s think tank is debating Bumrah’s replacement in the starting XI after he is ruled out of the Test.
The selectors had advised the team management at the previous meeting of the selection committee that Bumrah needed to take a break in order to prepare for what lay ahead. The pacer was eager to play all five Tests, but the team management and selectors advised him to skip the Ranchi Test because he would be needed in the final match in , according to The Indian Express. The pacer also has big assignments coming up, like the T20 World Cup and the Indian Premier League.
With his deadly reverse swing, Bumrah has caused more problems for England than any other player in the first three Test matches. It was inevitable that India would have to play a Test without him given his history of back problems, even though the workload management system hasn’t yet produced any alarms. And the big question is, who will replace Bumrah now that India is entering the area?
Now, a lot would depend on the circumstances India faces in Ranchi. For the first
time in this series, India is debating whether to use a turner after opting to play on conventional slow pitches, which have a tendency to start flat and get worse as the Test goes on. In that scenario, India might bench Bumrah in favour of Washington Sundar or Axar Patel to bolster the batting. Ranchi has black soil pitches, just like the other locations in the series. Additionally, it is acknowledged that pitch preparation has proceeded in a similar manner to that of Hyderabad, Vizag, and Rajkot thus far. If India would rather have a turner, however, the ground crew just needs to water the areas that need it or stop watering them completely.
Mukesh Kumar and the uncapped Akash Deep are the Indian options for Mohammed Siraj’s partner in Ranchi. However, on a flat deck in the series’ only Test match at Vizag, Mukesh found it difficult to threaten the Bazballers in any way. India is also cautious about maintaining their momentum after taking a 2-1 lead. This is especially true given that England would feel comfortable in Dharamsala, the location of the fifth Test, given the favourable conditions.
The match between Akash Deep and the England Lions went well. However, introducing a novice to Bazball may carry some risks, which is why playing an additional spinner is being explored as a possibility.
India had originally intended to play Washington even at Vizag, where Siraj was rested, but ultimately decided to use Mukesh, who bowled just 12 overs in the match.
India feels that having another spinner on the field would help the team even if it isn’t a turner because Washington and Axar are both reliable batting options. It is their inexperienced batting unit that makes India wary of playing on a rank turner. When head coach Rahul Dravid makes his first trip to the field on Wednesday afternoon, a clear picture should be visible.
