Credit: BCCI
Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian fast bowler, is unlikely to play the fifth and final Test match of the series against England at The Oval in London, which is slated to begin on Thursday, July 31. When Shubman Gill, the captain of India, was asked by Mel Jones about Jasprit Bumrah’s status in the presentation of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, he didn’t give much away apart from stating that the decision will be made before the first ball is bowled in the fifth and final Test.
Notably, before the five-match Test series between England and India began, it was widely reported that Jasprit Bumrah was not expected to compete in all the matches due to workload management. Just as expected, the Indian fast bowler didn’t play the second Test of the series earlier this July, and coincidentally, the team managed to dominate the contest at Edgbaston in Birmingham, winning it by 336 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah took two five-wicket hauls in three Tests for India in series vs England
In the remaining three Test matches which saw Jasprit Bumrah make an appearance for India, they ended up losing two, while the drawn contest just got completed a few minutes ago at Old Trafford in Manchester. With that, England will carry a 2-1 lead in the five-match series to The Oval in London, but India have a chance to level it up if they manage to win the fifth and final Test later this week, and for that, the presence of Jasprit Bumrah would be of paramount importance.
It is important to note that Jasprit Bumrah has already scalped two five-wicket hauls in the series in three appearances, including one at Lord’s in London in the second Test, to etch his name on the prestigious honours board. Whether the Indian team management will include Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI for fifth and final Test remains to be seen, but regardless, they will be looking to put up more than just a fight to level the series 2-2, to share the newly minted Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
