India are unlikely to risk fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the 5th Test match of the England series. The pace spearhead, who has already bowled 120 overs in 3 Test matches, has been advised rest, ESPNcricinfo reported on Wednesday, July 29.
This is Bumrah’s first Test series since his back injury in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25, and the Indian Cricket Board medical staff remains conservative over his workload, keeping future tournaments in mind.
The 31-year-old pacer appeared off-colour during the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, where he struggled with his pace and failed to make breakthroughs. The report added that Akash Deep, who missed the fourth Test due to a groin niggle, is likely to replace Bumrah in the XI.
Earlier, head coach Gautam Gambhir had stated that no decision had been taken regarding team composition and that all bowlers, including Bumrah, were fit.
“We haven’t had any conversation around the combination for the last Test,” Gambhir had said after the fourth Test in Manchester. “No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try and do the job for the country.”
India Bowlers Toil in 4th Test
England piled up a massive 669 in response to India’s 358, taking a 311-run first-innings lead at the fourth Test.
However, India mounted a remarkable fightback from 0 for 2, batting 143 overs in the second innings with centuries from captain Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja to earn a dramatic draw and stay alive in the five-match series, trailing 1–2.
Bumrah bowled 33 overs in the first innings of the fourth Test, the most he has bowled in a single innings, but returned figures of 2 for 103, the first time he conceded over 100 runs in a Test innings.
The number of deliveries he bowled over 140kph dropped significantly over the series, from 42.7 percent at Headingley, to 22.3 percent at Lord’s, and just 0.5 percent at Old Trafford. Despite his dip in effectiveness, Bumrah remains the joint-highest wicket-taker for India in the series alongside Mohammed Siraj, with 14 wickets to his name.
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