With the Indian team trailing 1-2 in the 5-match Test series against England, winning the remaining two matches becomes crucial to the tourists. However, the subject of Jasprit Bumrah is set to keep fans puzzled until the toss in Manchester. The marquee pacer was rested for the Edgbaston Test due to workload management, and there's doubt over his presence in the team for the 4th Test. It was already cleared by India's head coach Gautam Gambhir that Bumrah will only play three matches in the series. With two games to go and the series on the line, fans are keen to know which match Bumrah is being rested for next.
Though India captain Shubman Gill refused to confirm if Bumrah will feature in Manchester, a report in Sky Sports has suggested that the pacer will play the next match.
There have been questions over Rishabh Pant's availability too, after the wicket-keeper batter sustained a finger injury in the first innings of the Lord's Test. But, it has been reported that the injury isn't a serious one, and hence, Pant is all but certain to play the next match.
When Gill was asked about the team selection in the press conference on Monday, he said, "You'll get to know soon."
On Pant, the India skipper had said: "Rishabh went for scans. There is no major injury, so he should be fine for the fourth Test in Manchester," Gill had said.
A lot has been said on Bumrah's 'workload management' since the match concluded, especially over India's attempt to restain him. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan even compared Bumrah's workload to England captain Ben Stokes, who fulfilled both responsibilities to the full extent at Lord's.
"Ben Stokes bowled a 9.2-over spell in the morning on Day 5. He is a 4D player. He bowls, bats, and even executes the crucial run out of Rishabh Pant - yet there's no talk of workload management when he bowls. But with India, it's different. Bumrah bowls five overs and then waits for Joe Root to come out, when you need to control the game. His workload was managed as he did not play at Edgbaston. When you're playing a match, there is no workload," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.