Jasprit Bumrah doubtful for Oval Test, Arshdeep Singh likely in; Kuldeep Yadav's fate sealed
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The Indian team is looking forward to making some changes going into the final Test, which will be played at The Oval. The iconic venue would probably see India giving their first caps to a few players in the series, while the availability of Jasprit Bumrah has once again been thrown into uncertainty.
As per the reports made by PTI, the debutant pacer Anshul Kamboj, who replaced Nitish Kumar Reddy in the squad and Akash Deep for the fourth Test in Manchester, is set to be replaced by fit-again Akash Deep for the final Test.
Considering a great show by the two Indian lower-order all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, the Indian team can now have some faith in their batting department and focus on the bowling deck, which looks disorganized and was bashed by the English batters at Manchester in a mammoth innings of 669 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are likely to be rested at 'The Oval'
The report has also claimed that the Indian management thinks Jasprit Bumrah has bowled too many overs at Manchester and would likely be considered to be rested for the final Test. Also, he was less effective in the fourth Test.
The young left-handed pacer Arshdeep Singh has been reported to have recovered from his hand injury and might get a chance to feature in India's XI as a replacement for the World's no. 1 Test bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.
Though the Indian management and the head coach Gautam Gambhir had declared every pacer in the Indian squad to be fit after the draw at Manchester, they might consider some plans for resting either Bumrah or Mohammed Siraj, who has bowled even more overs than Jasprit Bumrah himself.
Bumrah has already played the pre-decided limit of 3 matches in the series; however, with the lagging scoreline, the decision might vary, but if it doesn't, Arshdeep Singh might be seen making his debut in London.
Kuldeep Yadav is likely to make his first appearance in the series
Kuldeep Yadav, who has not found a place in the side despite receiving backing from several greats of the game, is likely to get the opportunity to replace Shardul Thakur for the final Test.
Earlier, the Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel had claimed that Kuldeep is wanted in the XI, but for him to be placed in the lineup, the top 6 batters need to be more convincing and trustworthy with their batting. Now India has attained some solid backing from the top 6 batters in the 11 and might cite other plans as well.
"Kuldeep is world-class and he’s bowling really well at the moment, so we’re trying our best to find ways for him to get in," Morkel said on Kuldeep's probable inclusion.
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Dhruv Jurel or Narayan Jagadeesan to replace Rishabh Pant
With all these replacements yet to be confirmed, for now, one replacement seems to be confirmed to an extent. Rishabh Pant has been ruled out for the final Test, and his replacement has also been announced in the form of Narayan Jagadeesan.
However, the presence of Dhruv Jurel as a backup wicket-keeper batsman in the side has also thrown this decision into major doubt.
Jurel has kept wickets for the Indian team and has also made his Test debut for India in the last WTC cycle, so he would probably be given the upper hand over Jagadeesan, who came in as a second-choice replacement after Ishan Kishan was reported to be injured.
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India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England England vs India ICC World Test Championship Gautam Gambhir Jasprit Bumrah Arshdeep Singh Akash Deep Mohammed Siraj Kuldeep Yadav
