Will Jasprit Bumrah play fourth Test vs England in Manchester or not? With the series on line, that is the question which is on everybody's mind ahead of the match that starts on July 23. It was declared before the series that Bumrah will play only three out of the five matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. he has already played two in Leeds and Lord's. Now, it remains to be seen if he is used in the fourth or the fifth Test.
Indian cricket team star batter Ajinkya Rahane has said that if Bumrah does not play, Arshdeep Singh will be the ideal replacement.
"I think so, yes. If Bumrah is not playing, Arshdeep is the guy. Because in England, you need a left-arm seamer who can swing the ball both ways, and also, with a different angle, he can create that rough for the spinners. So, if Bumrah doesn't play, Arshdeep should play the next one," Rahane said in his YouTube channel.
"Depending on the condition of the wicket, I feel Kuldeep should play. If the wicket is similar to the last three Test matches, Kuldeep should play because you need guys who can get you those wickets. Our batting unit is doing really well. Even if you score 25-30 runs less, that's okay. But you need people who can get you those wickets. You don't want to depend on your leading fast bowlers every time."
Arshdeep is a veteran in T20Is having scalped 99 wickets in 63 matches. The 26-year-old left-arm pacer, however, is yet to play in Tests. However, his debut may take some time. The left-arm pacer was hit by a ball during the training session and was rushed to the doctor.
"He took a ball while he was bowling there. So he hit a ball, and he tried to stop it and it's just a cut. So we have to see how bad the cut is. Obviously, the medical team have taken him off to see a doctor and obviously, if he needs stitches or does he not, that will be important to our planning for the next few days," he said.
To remain in contention for winning the series, India need to win the last two Tests against England.