Jasprit Bumrah Released from India's Squad for Fifth Test Against England
Bumrah's Departure from the Squad
London, August 1: Jasprit Bumrah, the leading fast bowler for India, has been released from the national team ahead of the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England at The Oval. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cited workload management as the reason for his exclusion from the playing XI.
Prior to the second day of play, Bumrah was not seen boarding the team bus, prompting speculation about his status. The BCCI confirmed in a statement, "Mr. Jasprit Bumrah has been released from India’s squad for the fifth Test of the series against England, which is currently taking place at Kennington Oval, London."
Before the series commenced, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir indicated that Bumrah would not participate in more than three Tests during the tour due to his workload. He played in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, and the third and fourth Tests at Lord’s and Old Trafford, Manchester, respectively.
Throughout the three matches, Bumrah took 14 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, having bowled 119.4 overs at an average of 26, making him India's top wicket-taker in the series. Although he was anticipated to play in the fifth Test, he was ultimately left out of the playing eleven.
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate explained, "We certainly want to utilize him, but we must also consider his physical condition. Given the number of overs he has bowled, we felt it was best not to include him in the squad. He has bowled extensively, and while it may not seem that way since he has only played three Tests and bowled in one innings in Manchester, the load has been significant. He had mentioned before the tour that he would be available for three games, and we believe this decision aligns with that plan."
India's revised squad for the fifth Test includes: Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, and N Jagadeesan (WK).