India star Jasprit Bumrah will be rested during this week’s Fourth Test in a major boost to England’s hopes of keeping the series alive.
England trail 2-1 following a 434-run hammering in Rajkot last week, their heaviest defeat since 1934, and must win the two remaining Tests to become the first team to beat India on home soil in more than a decade.
Bumrah did not travel to Ranchi with his teammates on Tuesday morning and India later confirmed that Mukesh Kumar, who was dropped after the Second Test, has instead been recalled to the squad.
Middle-order batter KL Rahul will also be missing having failed to recover from the groin problem that has kept him sidelined since the series opener.
Bumrah has been in sensational form throughout the first three Tests. He is the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 17 at a remarkable average of just 13.64.
The 30-year-old has had a particular hold over Joe Root, dismissing England’s premier batter three times in six innings.
However, India are minded to be careful with the quick’s workload after he spent the best part of a year on the sidelines with a back injury before returning to action in August.
Bumrah was never expected to play all five matches and there were initially suggestions he might be rested for the Third Test, but that match came with the series on a knife-edge and on the back of a nine-day break.
Instead, he will sit out the Fourth Test, which starts on Friday in Ranchi, where the surface is expected to be more conducive to spin, before returning for what could be a decider in Dharamshala next month, where seam traditionally plays a more prominent role.
England are also weighing up changes to their attack, with a tight turnaround between the Third and Fourth Tests meaning Mark Wood and James Anderson are unlikely to be rolled out again. Neither Ollie Robinson nor uncapped Surrey quick Gus Atkinson have featured yet in the series, while Shoaib Bashir could return if England decide to bring a third specialist spinner back into the side.
