Jasprit Bumrah, known to be India’s top wicket-taker in the current Test series against England, is expected to be sidelined for the fourth match in Ranchi. Having claimed 17 wickets thus far, his absence creates an opportunity for a replacement, particularly with India holding the series lead.
Bumrah has delivered 80.5 overs over the course of three matches. This workload indicates that he could benefit from a well-deserved rest, particularly with a focus on workload management. India’s bowling approach, favoring a combination of two seamers and three spinners, has proven to be effective.
In the event that India opts to substitute Bumrah with another pacer, there are two potential candidates: Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep. Mukesh Kumar received an opportunity in the second Test held in Vizag but failed to make a notable impression.
The JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi has held two Test matches to date. The inaugural match occurred in October 2019 and resulted in a dominant performance by India. Rohit Sharma notched a double-century, Ajinkya Rahane scored a century, and Ravindra Jadeja contributed a half-century in the first innings. India didn’t bat in the second innings, securing victory by an innings and 202 runs. During that match, Indian pacers claimed 10 wickets, while spinners took 8.
The second Test match also saw India dominating. Cheteshwar Pujara registered a double-century, Wriddhiman Saha scored a century, and KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, and Ravindra Jadeja each contributed a half-century. Similar to the previous match against Australia, India didn’t bat in the second innings, resulting in a draw. However, in this match, Indian pacers managed only 4 wickets, whereas spin bowlers accounted for 11 wickets, with Jadeja claiming 9 of them.
