BACK BREAKING: Akash Deep and Arshdeep are injured, new boy Anshul Kamboj comes in ahead of fourth Test in England

So, is the Indian fast bowling attack lacking spunk and spine. No pun, this, the latest one hears is Team India have hit the panic button ahead of the fourth Test against England for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The series stands poised at 2-1 in favour of the hosts, after Ben Stokes’s boys came out smoking in the third Test.

So, what is the problem/problems with the Indian pace attack, where Jasprit Bumrah has been criticised by two well-known commentators, Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar. Gavaskar had the gall to ask if Bumrah was going to be a tourist in England and would pick and choose how many Tests he would play.

Hang, on, guys, the problem is not Bumrah’s back. He will be fit and ready to roar in Manchester. The problem area now, or a back in the pain now has been caused by Akash Deep, who bowled well in the second Test for India to restore parity. In the third Test, the same Akash Deep looked average. So, with Akash out and Arshdeep Singh, yet to play one match in the series, suffering a hand injury, panic all around Team India.

A few points need to be cleared, for all those who mocked Bumrah and said he was not going to play five Tests, he had made it clear before itself. He has suffered major back issues twice and was emphatic when he said he would play only three Tests in the series. He is aware the series is at stake and he has to play from July 23.

That brings us to workload management, who is part of the brains trust and takes care of the bowlers. It is clear, the strength and rehab experts and physios are not doing a great job. Fans are amused, the bowlers are breaking down. Sample this, Prasidh Krishna, who had bad outings, can kiss his Test career goodbye. Coach Gautam Gambhir can take credit for that, since he has destroyed a few careers. The first, of course, was Sarfaraz Khan.

Not everyone has forgotten, when India went to England well ahead of the series, there was an overload of fast bowlers who had been flown out. It included Mukesh Kumar as well and a few more. Harshit Rana, the blue-eyed boy of Gambhir, was also there before being sent back. Perhaps, he, too, got injured.

And now the latest one hears is Anshul Kamboj, the Haryana fast bowler, has been added to the squad. The 24-year-old being drafted in is a clear sign, there are major fitness issues with the Indian fast bowlers. If not, why would half a dozen be experimented with in a five-Test series.

People should not get fooled that only Bumrah is incapable of playing five Tests in a row. He has done enough for India. Something is going wrong somewhere and the coach has enough assistants to explain why this is happening. This is not the first time, either. It is a shame, even before the fourth Test, all these issues are cropping up. Coach Gambhir will have to answer as skipper Shubman Gill is still just an apprentice. For those who have hyped him, hang on, he is no Virat Kohli.

Fast bowling is about preserving oneself well. Bowlers like Kapil Dev, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad played with a large heart. Right now, the butt of ridicule is not workload management, but how ‘breakdown management’ has to be practised by India with the fast bowlers. How come one man has been able to shoulder the load tirelessly, Mohd Siraj. The guy has bowled 109 overs in three Tests. He is aware, he cannot get a break, unless he also breaks down.

Theatre of absurd, whoever is managing affairs in Team India.