Will he, or won’t he? Ever since the first Test in Leeds, that’s been the big question. The ‘he’, of course, references Jasprit Bumrah.
While announcing the squad in May for the five-match series in England, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had emphasised that the bowling spearhead would be available for only three games, a line since espoused by members of the leadership group over the last 40 days. Now, with the series on the line, India haven’t entirely ruled out Bumrah playing at The Oval from Thursday, Shubman Gill opting to hedge his bets publicly on match-eve.
Bumrah hasn’t had as much say on the series as he or his side would have liked. Despite two five-wicket hauls, he hasn’t been able to inspire a victory in any of his three appearances; apart from the first innings at Headingley, he hasn’t tasted success with the first new ball either and India have won just two of his eight overseas outings since November. His pace dropped considerably from Leeds to Manchester, understandable given the miles in his legs, but anyone who rules out Bumrah rousing himself for one final, telling statement must do so at their own peril.
Big blow for England
One man definitely out of the fifth Test is England’s inspirational captain. Ben Stokes has been a compelling force in this series, back-to-back Player-of-the-Match awards inadequate in quantifying his influence. A right shoulder muscle tear will confine the leading wicket-taker of the series to the sidelines, a huge blow to a side looking to translate its 2-1 advantage into a hard-fought victory against an Indian side that has competed with more sustained intensity than their opponents might have envisaged.
Stokes has been his own go-to man all series long, bowling marathon spells without flagging, playing vital hands with the bat culminating in a 14th century last week, conjuring special slices of fielding including his run out of Rishabh Pant just before lunch on Day Three at Lord’s and pulling numerous other rabbits out of his ample hat. In his absence, Ollie Pope has a tough act to follow. Pope will also be handicapped by the absence of Jofra Archer, stirring in his comeback at Lord’s but remarkably low on firepower in Manchester, and Brydon Carse, whose nine wickets have come at 60.88.
Because of the hole created by Stokes’s unavailability at No. 6, all-rounder Jacob Bethell has been drafted in ahead of left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, whose return to Test cricket after eight years was anything but memorable.
While England have announced their XI, India are playing their cards close to their chest.
India eye batting depth
One change is inevitable — Dhruv Jurel for the injured Rishabh Pant. How many more they enforce depends on various factors, among them the need for batting depth, the reputation of the ground (pace-friendly, with quicker bowlers taking 131 of the 150 wickets in five county matches this season) and the weather forecast — rain has been predicted for three of the first four days. Pacers Akash Deep will fancy a return and Arshdeep Singh a debut, but typically with India, it’s mostly wait and watch to find out.
Two
No. of Tests India have won at The Oval, they have lost six — five against England and one vs Australia, while seven ended in a draw
