Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will miss the final 4th Test against England after the 27-year-old was released from the squad for personal reasons, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said on Saturday.
The right-arm seamer took four wickets in the opening Test in Chennai but was rested for the second match, which India won to level the series.
Jasprit Bumrah Requested BCCI To Be Released From India’s Squad Ahead Of 4th Test For Personal Reasons
Jasprit Bumrah returned to play his first test at his home ground in Ahmedabad, where India triumphed inside two days to go 2-1 up in the four-match series.
“Jasprit Bumrah made a request to BCCI to be released from India’s squad ahead of the fourth test owing to personal reasons,” the board said in a statement. “Accordingly, the fast bowler has been released and he will not be available for selection for the fourth test.”
India has decided not to add any player to cover for his absence for the final test, also in Ahmedabad from Thursday. Jasprit Bumrah had a limited role in the third test, where spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin wreaked havoc with the pink ball and India did not feel the need to bowl any of their seamers in England’s second innings.
Mohammed Siraj Or Umesh Yadav May Be Ishant Sharma’s New Ball Partner In Next 4th Test
In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj will hope to be Ishant Sharma’s new-ball partner in the final match. A draw in Ahmedabad will be enough for India to win the series and book their place in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship against New Zealand in June.
Jasprit Bumrah finished the series with 4 wickets from 48 overs bowled across the two Tests. He was required to bowl only 6 overs in the Day-Night Pink Test at Ahmedabad with the ball spinning from the first day itself. He was rested for the 2nd Test in Chennai for workload management policy.
Mohammed Siraj, who replaced him in the 2nd Test is the frontrunner to reclaim his spot while a fit-again Umesh Yadav is another contender. Mohammed Siraj has picked only 1 scalp and has bowled only 8 overs in 1 Test while Ishant Sharma has picked 6 scalps playing all three Tests.
Umesh Yadav has been added to the Indian squad after recovering from the calf injury he sustained in the Boxing Day Test against Australia.