INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND, 2025
Moahmmed Siraj has stated that Bumrah will play the Old Trafford © Getty
Jasprit Bumrah will take the field at Old Trafford in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, his bowling partner Mohammed Siraj said two days out from the match. Bumrah’s availability has hovered over each Test like a weather watch, shaped by a pre-series agreement that India’s pace spearhead would play only three of the five games to manage his workload.
But with India trailing 1-2 and the series slipping into its decisive phase, his inclusion in Manchester feels less like a decision and more like a certainty. The nine-day gap since the finish at Lord’s on July 14 has only strengthened the case.
On Monday (July 21) morning, Bumrah was in a long, animated conversation with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Soon after, he eased into his bowling spell in the nets: shorter than his usual tune-ups, before picking up the bat for a hit.
Rain is forecast on three of the five days at Old Trafford, raising the outside chance that his bowling load may be lighter than usual. That, in turn, could open the door for him to play again at The Oval, where the final Test begins on July 31, just three days after this one ends. But that’s a conversation for another day.
India’s attack from Lord’s could still likely see one change, with Akash Deep nursing a groin concern. The Bengal seamer, who impressed with a ten-wicket haul in Birmingham, bowled off a shortened run-up during the main group session but didn’t take part in the nets thereafter. India are expected to give him another 24 hours before making a final call, but contingency plans are already in motion.
To reinforce an increasingly beleaguered pace unit, 24-year-old Anshul Kamboj has been drafted into the squad. The Haryana quick, with 79 wickets at an average of 22.88 in 24 first-class games, was among the more promising performers for India ‘A’ against the England Lions last month, picking up five wickets across two matches. He arrived in Manchester only on Sunday, but there was little time to settle: Kamboj was soon steaming in with the new ball in the nets, under the watchful eyes of Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Yet standing between Kamboj and a debut could be Prasidh Krishna, who played the first two Tests of the series. His numbers – 5.33 runs per over – don’t flatter him, but the context matters. A particularly expensive spell came in Birmingham, when captain Shubman Gill asked for short-pitched bowling in a bid to force a breakthrough. Prasidh was back at his best in the Old Trafford nets, troubling Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Sai Sudharsan with his rhythm and lift.
Amid the vortex of injury concerns, there was one encouraging sight: Rishabh Pant appeared to have largely moved past the niggle that had prevented him from keeping for most of the Lord’s Test. India’s vice-captain kept wickets during a slip-catching drill and batted without visible discomfort. Only deliveries that climbed sharply and struck high on the splice seemed to cause him any trouble.
Still, if there are doubts over his ability to keep for five days, India may be tempted to slot in Dhruv Jurel as a replacement for the ruled-out Nitish Reddy. But if Pant is cleared to resume keeping duties, that frees up a spot for Sai Sudharsan, the left-hander who spent quality time in the nets and remains hungry to build on his debut at Headingley.
© Cricbuzz
