Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested for the fourth India-England Test in Ranchi – here’s what India can do to tweak their bowling attack in his absence.
First of all, the obvious disclaimer: There is no substitute for Bumrah, perhaps the best Indian fast food of this century. Any changes will require cuts in the pace department or additions to the spin attack.
There is no need to emphasize his importance. He currently leads the wicket row for both teams in this series. On a tour that has always been about spin, Bumrah took 17 wickets at 13.64, 11 more than the next best quick, James Anderson. Unsurprisingly, Bumrah has bowled more than any other seamer in this series (he has 80.5 overs in six innings).
In the previous three Tests, India maintained a combination of two players and three spinners and did not field more than five bowlers in any of the six innings. It’s an assist that has led to a 108-run win and a 434-run victory in the last two Tests, but without the bowlers who took almost a third of his 60 wickets, that tally would be forced to change. It will be.
The pitch question
Firstly, there is not much information about what the pitch will be like in Ranchi, the venue for the 4th Test. The JSCA International Stadium complex last hosted a Test in 2019 and was always known for its slow speeds and low bounce based on the usual nature of the surface in eastern India. But there may have been more speed and bounce than you remember since the black Earth’s surface was replaced by a red one a few years ago.
India, currently 2-1 up in the series, will be willing to play to their strengths and find a comeback to counter Bumrah’s absence.
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Option 1: Swap in another quick
At first glance, it makes sense to swap one sailor for another, especially if the current balance is working very well for the team. But you can’t just swap seamers for Bumrah, even though India has plenty of alternative seamers.
Mohammad Siraj will be the first Sea Bowl pick in Bumrah’s absence, with Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep being the other candidates for supporting roles. Both Mukesh and Akash have represented Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and are familiar with the conditions and surfaces of eastern Bengal. Mukesh was not selected for his third Test but actually traveled to Calcutta to play in the Ranji match, where he recorded his best performance in first-class cricket And his match returns were 10-50. He was the second seamer in his second Test, playing a bit role while Bumrah did most of the fast bowling work.
Akash Deep is still unrestricted, but if he actually plays in the match, he will be bold to include him in the squad. However, he has emerged as a key performer alongside Mukesh and Ishan Porel in Bengal’s red-ball pace attack, with two four-wicket hauls in two matches and a total of 11 in India A’s last four days of matches. Won the first scalp.
Option 2: Spin it to win it
The role of the second crew member is quite limited. In the first Test, Siraj bowled 11 overs with 1 wicket. In the second Test, Mukesh bowled a total of 12 overs with 1 wicket.
This has a lot to do with Bumrah’s talent, he is an anomaly in many ways. But if India actually gets a player who flips the order in Ranchi, there may not be a need to balance the role between Siraj and another quick.
With a plethora of options available, we can also add another spinner to the existing set for the 3rd Test: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav. In that sense, Axar Patel is easily replaceable. He said that in his two Tests he has taken 5 wickets and in his first two Tests he has taken 27 and 45 and 44 and 17 and his batting power will further increase. There are also advantages.
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Ravindra Jadeja plays India Bowling Einheit bei der De De Motage England in Rajkot 👏#RavindraJadeja #KuldeepYadav #JaspritBumrah #RavichandranAshwin #Indien #INDvsENG #Tests #Cricket pic.twitter.com/n0h8QbbDAE
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Even if it is not Axar, there is a possibility that he could sign Washington Sundar, who is an off-spinner like Ashwin and is good enough to be in the top six. He recently played in a match against England Lions and scored 57 runs, becoming his second spinner to take 2 his wickets.
Option 3: What’s outside?
If Bumrah is not available, India has an opportunity to explore external options.
The pacers who played for India A against England Lions include Yash Dayal and Arshdeep Singh, both left-handed. Among the spinners, Saurabh Kumar, who was included in the squad for the second Test, is likely to return. However, two seamers and two spinners are already in the existing squad, all of whom will need to join the pecking order.
Incidentally, Shardul Thakur, who was a regular until recently, took only 10 wickets, including 6 against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. He has an amazing way of getting back on track.
Looking further afield, Umesh Yadav has performed well for Ranchi, picking up eight wickets in two Tests, six of which have come from first-class batsmen.
Umesh Yadav is a gun pacer in home condition and It will be great if BCCI ask him to play in Ranchi if Bumrah is supposed to rest.
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Or is Mohammed Shami fit and ready to make a surprise return to the Test team?
All this could actually be for naught if Bumrah actually stops playing, but this seems far-fetched considering there were rumors that he would be given a break even in the third Test. It’s not a thought.
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