Jasprit Bumrah will not play the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval starting Thursday, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
While all the focus two days out from the series finale was on India coach Gautam Gambhir’s clash with head curator Lee Fortis, India’s medical team reportedly told their superstar fast bowler that he will sit out as part of a long-term strategy to protect his troublesome back.
The news does not come as a shock as it has been suggested throughout the series that Bumrah would not play more than three of the five Tests, nor would he play back-to-back Tests when there was a short turnaround.
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There is just a three-day break between the final two Tests, but with India needing to win in London to level the series at 2-2, it was thought they may have asked Bumrah to go around again.
Gambhir even said after the draw in Manchester that his prized paceman would be available at The Oval.
Bumrah has captured 14 wickets, the joint second-most in the series, at an average of 26, including two five-wicket hauls across the three Tests he has played this series – the series opener at Headingley, the third Tests at Lords and the fourth at Old Trafford.
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But the Indian hierarchy are clearly mindful of avoiding a repeat of the Australian summer where despite being named of the player of the series for his heroics, Bumrah broke down in the final Test in Sydney after shouldering a mountain of work.
The signs of his body struggling were prevalent in Manchester once again.
On a lifeless surface, Bumrah bowled 33 overs, the most he has ever bowled in a Test innings, to pick up two wickets in England’s sole innings in the drawn encounter.
He conceded more than 100 runs in an innings for the first time in his career, and his pace continued to drop as it has done throughout the series.
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When he was fresh in Leeds, Bumrah bowled 42.7 per cent of his deliveries faster than 140km/h.
At Lords that figure dropped to just 22.3 per cent, and it fell off a cliff at Old Trafford, at only 0.5 per cent.
Fellow quick Akash Deep is set to be the likely replacement for Bumrah.
Deep snared ten wickets for the match in India’s victory at Edgbaston, when Bumrah did not play, including a six-wicket haul in the second innings.
But he followed that up with just one scalp at Lords.
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There may be more changes to the Indian bowling attack after Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur struggled in the fourth Test.
As well as Deep, seamers Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh are waiting in the wings.
Spinner Kuldeep Yadav could even come in to form a spinning trio alongside Old Trafford centurions Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja.
There will definitely be one other change to the Indian XI with Dhruv Jurel set to take the gloves after Rishabh Pant was ruled out with a foot injury he sustained while batting in the last Test.