Arjit Kumar - Thursday, Jul 31, 202531-year-old Bumrah, the world's number one bowler, did not look in rhythm in the fourth Test match played at Old Trafford. He also had to struggle with his speed. He could take only one wicket in this Test. According to ESPNcricinfo's report, 'The BCCI medical team has told Bumrah that this decision has been taken to protect his back from injury and keeping the future in mind.' The report said that Akash Deep, who was out of the fourth Test due to back pain, can be included in the playing-11 in place of Bumrah.
India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had advocated keeping an all-rounder in his statement on Tuesday. He had talked about giving preference to an all-rounder instead of an additional fast bowler. In such a situation, Shardul Thakur's playing is considered certain. Shardul also scored valuable 41 runs in the first innings of the Manchester Test, but questions are being raised on his bowling. Many veterans had demanded to play Kuldeep Yadav during the four Tests. The team management can also consider playing Kuldeep in place of Shardul. Kuldeep is an attacking spinner and considering India's bowling in the last Test, he may get a chance.
There is very little chance of any change in batting except Rishabh Pant. Pant is out of the series due to a broken toe. In such a situation, Dhruv Jurel can get a chance in his place. In the absence of Pant, he has done wicketkeeping on many occasions in this series and has played his role well. Apart from this, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are also sure to play. Both of them batted brilliantly even in adverse conditions to save the Test in Manchester.
Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah/Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj/Prasidh Krishna.
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue.
The final match of the series is also expected to be exciting, as England, led by an inspirational captain like Ben Stokes, is leading the young Indian team. India's new captain Shubman Gill has impressed with both his captaincy and batting so far. However, the weather can become a problem. According to AccuWeather, the chance of rain on the first day of the fifth Test is 65 percent, while the chance of cloudiness is 93 percent. At the same time, there is also a possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon and the maximum chance of cloudiness is 77 percent. However, the team winning the toss would like to bowl first due to the conditions.
Brendan Taylor has returned to the Zimbabwe Test team after completing a three-and-a-half-year suspension imposed for violating the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption and anti-doping rules. Taylor (39 years old) was banned in January 2022 for not reporting in time an approach for spot-fixing by an Indian businessman in 2019.
