How India’s bowling attack will shape up for the Manchester Test?
The fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar 2025 Trophy is scheduled to take place at Emirates Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, starting July 23. India have been grappling with injury concerns ahead of a must-win encounter. Arshdeep Singh, who could have proved handy for visitors in Manchester, has been ruled out due to injury. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who showed all-round potential in the last Test, has been ruled out of both the remaining Test matches of the series due to a left knee injury. India have added Akash Deep in the squad for the fourth Test match, but his availability also remains doubtful.
It begs the question: How will India’s bowling attack shape up for the Manchester Test?
Amidst all the injuries, the chatter around Bumrah workload management has taken a backseat. Jasprit Bumrah has played a vital role in the two Tests he has played in the series. His presence is going to be extremely crucial in a must-win game for them. Thankfully, there has been a significant gap between third and fourth Tests, which has allowed Bumrah to recover well.
He should be leading the pace-attack in Manchester, where seamers are expected to dictate terms. Along with him will be his partner in crime, Mohammed Siraj, who bowled his heart out in the last Test. He picked four wickets at Lord’s, but that doesn’t quite do justice to the effort he put in throughout the Test.
He should look to get over the heart-crushing moment of his dismissal off Shoaib Bashir in Lord’s and come out firing on all cylinders. Akash Deep underwent fitness Tests under the supervision of Morne Morkel on Monday, as per a report by TOI. He should straightaway make it into the playing XI if deemed fully fit for the encounter.
Who will replace Nitish Kumar Reddy in the India playing XI?
Shardul Thakur played the first Test of the series but didn't quite make an impact to retain his place for the next Test match. Nitish Kumar Reddy played the next two Tests, but he has now been ruled out of the series. Shardul Thakur could be brought back into the playing XI, but India have also added Anshul Kamboj into the squad, and if reports are to be believed, he is in contention to make his Test debut.
Both Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel had a close watch on him bowling in the nets in Monday’s training session. Anshul Kamboj has made a sharp rise in his career in a few years. He first grabbed eyeballs after picking all ten wickets in an innings for Haryana in a Ranji Trophy encounter against Kerala. He recently impressed everyone on India’s A tour of England.
He picked four wickets in the second Test against England Lions and also scored an unbeaten 51 off 86 with the bat. His ability to bat down the order could give the team management confidence in handing him the Test debut at Old Trafford.
Will Kuldeep Yadav play at Old Trafford?
The first glimpse of the pitch shows a visible green cover. The forecast suggests cloudy conditions throughout the five days of the Test match. The temperature hovers between 13 and 21 degrees Celsius, which means the pitch isn’t going to deteriorate much.
It may get damp, but not much spin is expected. Hence, the Indian team could stick to keeping both their spin bowling all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, in the playing XI. Their all-round prowess provides an ideal balance to their line-up. Hence, Kuldeep Yadav isn’t likely to make it into the playing XI for the fourth Test.
England currently lead the five-match Test series 2-1 with two Tests left. The hosts took a 1-0 lead after winning the first Test by five wickets. India bounced back with a 336-run win in the second Test, but England made it 2-1 after winning the third Test by 22 runs. The fourth Test starts on 23rd July in Manchester.
