Ahead of the fourth and final Test against England, India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been released from the squad due to personal reasons.
The 27-year-old was already rested for the five T20Is beginning on March 12, as part of the team’s workload management program.
Since August last year, the Gujarat-born cricketer has been inside the bio-secure bubble before the 2020 Indian T20 League campaign in the UAE.
Bumrah had bowled just six overs in the third Test and had gone wicketless on a dusty pitch at the newly reconstructed Motera stadium.
Virat Kohli-led side currently has plenty of options in their squad to replace Jasprit Bumrah. Here we look at three contenders who can replace Bumrah in the playing XI for the fourth Test.
Umesh Yadav
The right-arm pacer missed out on a spot in the third Test as Ishant Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah edged him to the side. With Bumrah not available for the final Test against England, there are high chances of Umesh featuring in the playing XI. He has perfectly complemented Bumrah and Ishant in the game's longest format, whenever given a chance. The 33-year-old has claimed 148 wickets in 48 Tests at an average of 30.55.
Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj has already played a Test in the ongoing series and had scalped one wicket in the first Test in Chennai. The 26-year-old has been impressive every time he has donned the Indian jersey and was the team’s highest wicket-taker in Australia, picking 13 wickets in three Tests at an average of 29.54. Siraj can be a perfect replacement for Bumrah in the fourth and final Test against England in Ahmedabad.
Kuldeep Yadav
The fourth Test will be played at the Motera Stadium, which has assisted spinners as seen in the third Test, and thus, team India could play as many as four spinners against England. The visitors were visibly struggling against Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin's impressive spin bowling, with the pair claiming 19 of the 20 wickets in the pink-ball Test. In his short Test career, Kuldeep has claimed 26 wickets in seven matches with two five-wicket hauls to his name.
Feature image courtesy: DAVID GRAY / AFP
