India's support coach Ryan ten Doeschate has virtually guaranteed that Jasprit Bumrah will play in the series-deciding fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England.
India are 1-2 behind in the five-match series after losing the first Test in Leeds and the third Test at Lord's, and their only win was in Birmingham.
Before the series, BCCI had made it clear that Bumrah would play just three of the five matches as part of a workload management plan. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, justified the move by leaving out the star fast bowler from the second Test—despite Bumrah's brilliant performance in the first Test of the series.
India, though, didn't miss Bumrah's services at Edgbaston, with Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep rising to the cause, taking five-wicket hauls to lead India to a thumping 336-run win and square the series.
But fortunes turned once more after a narrow 22-run defeat at Lord's, with renewed calls for Bumrah's return for the make-or-break fourth Test at Old Trafford, which starts next week. This time around, the Indian team management has taken note.
Commenting after India's first training session before the Manchester Test, ten Doeschate said:
"We will make that decision in Manchester. We know we have him for one of the last two Tests. I would have thought it's fairly clear the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a tendency to play him."
If picked, this would be Bumrah's first appearance at Old Trafford, a ground at which India have never won a single Test. In nine matches played in Manchester against England, India have lost four and drawn five. The last time India were to play there, in 2021, the Test was abandoned because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the Indian camp.
With the series in the balance, Bumrah's availability would be a tipping point as India look to keep the contest alive and rewrite their history at the iconic ground.
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