Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which starts at The Oval on Thursday. India’s medical staff advised the fast bowler to stand down, citing “long-term back management” as the overriding concern.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, speaking just after last week’s drawn Old Trafford Test, had insisted “Bumrah was available for the final Test”. Two days later the advice changed. The plan all along, insiders say, was for him to feature in only three of the five matches, but the series-levelling opportunity briefly tempted the think-tank to revisit the schedule. In the end common sense, and a stiff back, prevailed.
Sanjay Manjrekar summed up the dilemma neatly on TV: “Bumrah at 130kph is still India’s best bowler.” Even so, the drop in pace through the series was becoming hard to ignore. At Headingley 42.7 per cent of his first-innings deliveries were above 140kph; that fell to 22.3 per cent at Lord’s and just 0.5 per cent at Old Trafford. He sent down a taxing 33 overs in Manchester, conceded more than 100 runs for the first time in a Test innings and did not bowl after the fourth morning.
Akash Deep tuned-up during an optional session on Tuesday and is expected to slot straight in. The right-armer missed Old Trafford with a groin niggle but looked fully recovered, finding seam movement on a slightly green practice strip. His only appearance this tour, at Edgbaston, brought match figures of 10 for 165, including a career-best 6 for 99 in England’s second dig. Lord’s was a tougher outing – just one wicket, plenty of balls leaking down the slope – yet conditions in Kennington should be friendlier.
India’s seam balance remains delicate. Mohammed Siraj, the only quick to play every Test, will lead the line again. Workload is becoming a talking point: Siraj’s overs tally is the fourth-highest by any bowler this series, and the support cast have offered mixed returns. Prasidh Krishna has not been seen since Edgbaston, while Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj both bowled unthreatening new-ball spells at Old Trafford and were barely used thereafter.
The Oval pitch looked typically brown and true two days out, though a morning weather front is forecast, so control rather than outright speed could be the decisive skill. Akash brings a straighter seam and, crucially, fuller lengths than the others. He also bats a bit, easing the lower-order burden that Siraj and Thakur have shouldered all month.
Gambhir, who coached Akash at franchise level before taking the India job, spoke quietly but firmly about roles: “Everyone knows the template – one bowler attacks, another contains – but on good surfaces you need three who can do a bit of both.” The sub-text is obvious: repeat the Headingley template, where the quicks hunted in pairs, and India can square the series 2-2.
England are monitoring their own issues – James Anderson bowled at half-pace on Tuesday, and Ben Stokes still feels his stiff left knee every morning – yet India’s decision to rest their spearhead has dominated the early chatter. It is hardly unprecedented, though. Bumrah, 31 next week, has already sat out a dozen Tests for workload reasons and carries a well-documented stress-fracture history.
The numbers remain healthy: 14 wickets this series, joint-second with Siraj, at an average just north of 27. His absence leaves a hole, but not a void. “You can’t replace Bumrah, you can only spread the job around,” batting coach Vikram Rathour said, half-joking, when pressed about contingency plans. That probably means an even greater emphasis on Ravindra Jadeja’s accuracy and Kuldeep Yadav’s variation, plus the hope that Akash relives his Edgbaston rhythm.
For Bumrah, the immediate plan is rest, light gym work and a short bowling run-up block before the limited-overs series in September. Nobody inside the camp expects the back flare-up to linger, yet the caution is deliberate. A Champions Trophy and two away tours sit inside the next eight months; India would rather have a fully fit talisman for those, even if it means risking a series defeat now.
Balanced against that is the prospect of levelling a hard-fought contest. Bumrah’s tactical nous, particularly with the old ball, will be missed on a surface that typically rewards reverse swing after tea. Siraj and Akash may need to sharpen their tricks quickly. England’s batting has flickered rather than blazed, but Joe Root and Ollie Pope both like the Oval pace, while Harry Brook lives for a quick, true deck.
In the end the call to rest Bumrah feels pragmatic rather than negative, protecting a long-term asset without surrendering the short-term fight. India, after all, won at Edgbaston without him. Another disciplined bowling effort, backed by more than one big score, would do the trick again. The stage is set; the spearhead watches from the balcony.
