India vs England: Jasprit Bumrah 'picking and choosing' fixtures? Doeschate explains
There is a series defeat to defy for the visitors at the Kennington Oval. The five-match India vs England Test series has proved to be an immensely tight battle as it all comes down to the final match. The hosts aim at claiming a 3-1 close after their victories at Headingley and Lord's. India, meanwhile, have the chance to draw level at 2-2 after winning the Edgbaston Test and forcing a draw in the fourth match, the Manchester Test. A fixture as crucial as the Oval Test would have called for India to play their most reliable match-winner. However, the guests have opted to respect the body of Jasprit Bumrah, resting the pacer in the last match.
The visitors stick to their original plan around Jasprit Bumrah for the final India vs England Test
India introduced four changes in their combination for the fifth and final Test of the series. Shardul Thakur was dropped again as the visitors added depth to their batting line-up, giving another chance to Karun Nair. The absence of Rishabh Pant, forced by an injury to the wicketkeeper's right foot, was tackled by finally handing an official spot to Dhruv Jurel in the Playing XI. Meanwhile Prasidh Krishna replaced Anshul Kamboj while Akash Deep filled in for Jasprit Bumrah on the spicy-looking surface of the Oval.
Four matches down in the series, a look at the Oval wicket promised the most action for the speedsters. A green tinge covered the wicket, the most colour that has been noted in the entirety of the series. Moreover, the overcast conditions in Surrey made it all the more exciting for the pacers across the teams. And yet, the final India vs England Test is the one devoid of the assistance of the mainstays from both teams. A shoulder injury ruled out the English captain, Ben Stokes, from the all-important fixture. Moreover, the hosts decided to rest Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer as well, calling up Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Jamie Overton in the attack.
India, meanwhile, kept up with their originally devised plan of playing Jasprit Bumrah in only three Tests in the series. Despite the likable conditions on offer at the Oval, the visitors did not risk putting any stress on Bumrah. Meanwhile, the combination saw Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna reclaiming a spot in the attack. The start to the final Test was a disappointing but anticipated one. The young Indian captain, Shubman Gill, lost his fifth toss in a row as India, overall, lost their 15th consecutive toss.
The Indian batting line-up suffered an ordeal under the loomy sky at the Oval. Day 1 of the game, marred by drizzles here and there, saw the visitors losing six wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal went away quickly as Atkinson trapped him in an LBW in the fourth over. Sai Sudharsan tried his best to resist, but KL Rahul could not emulate his usual poise, departing against Chris Woakes at 14. The Indian skipper returned after a horrible mix-up in the middle, going away at 21 after a run-out. At the close of Day 1, India were 204/6, bolstered by the unbeaten half-century stand of Karun Nair.
The India vs England series has emerged as one taking a heavy toll on the seamers. Only Chris Woakes and Mohammed Siraj have come up as the bowlers to play all five Tests in the series that has stretched well over a month now. Woakes, however, sustained a serious injury on his left ankle while fielding in the last session. The injury, speculated to be a dislocation, is likely to leave the hosts without the lead of their bowling attack in the Oval Test.
Meanwhile, the Indian cordon provided an update about Jasprit Bumrah. India's assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, fielded the press queries at the close of the opening day. The coach touched upon the Indian combination for the crucial fixture, explaining the decision to rest the pace spearhead. While Doeschate agreed that the management inclined towards playing Bumrah, ultimately, they decided that it was better to manage him consciously for the upcoming load of the India cricket schedule.
“It’s quite a complex issue around Bumrah,” Doeschate said. “We obviously want to wheel him in, but we also want to respect where his body’s at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn’t worth including him in the squad. In hindsight, you would have loved to have him here. But you would also have said if we come here 3-1 down that we didn’t use him there. So it’s trying to not guess but trying to look into the future and manage him," he explained.
“I don’t think picking and choosing is a fair comment to Bumrah,” he said. “He did say he was going to play three games, he left it up to us which three he played. We’ve tried to manage the situation. It’s not ideal… I guess giving those guys attention, the guys who aren’t playing, particularly when you’re carrying 18, is important. Make them know that you’re making all the decisions in good faith, in the best interest of the team," Doeschate rounded off.
