The Indian team is leading 2-1 in the five-match Test series. The team management has decided to rest India’s leading fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the fourth Test starting on Friday in Ranchi. KL Rahul is not included in the fourth Test as he is still not fit.
After winning the fourth Test in Ranchi, the Indian team will be looking to take a 3-1 lead and wrap up the series. However, the Indian team may have to face difficulties as the key weapon like Jasprit Bumrah is not in the team.
In this series, in the absence of leading batsmen such as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, the young Indian batsmen have maintained their dominance by batting brilliantly. A fast bowler may be missed. However, the pitch prepared for the Ranchi Test could be helpful for the spinners. So the spinners will have the upper hand in this test. Therefore, it seems that the Indian team will miss Bumrah. For this reason, the team management has decided to rest Bumrah in the fourth Test.
Mukesh Kumar has been recalled in place of Bumrah. Mukesh Kumar has not been able to perform as effectively as expected. But, in the fourth Test, he will get a chance to justify his selection again. Mohammad Siraj was rested for the second Test on ‘workload management’ grounds. India will rely on Siraj’s performance in the fourth Test.
Ranchi’s pitch will favour spin. Therefore, there is a possibility of including four spinners in the Indian team. Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akshar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will be the main weapons of the Indian team.
As per the strategy of captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid, Mukesh Kumar may return to the team while Athara Akash Deep may be given a chance to make a comeback.
KL Rahul is still not fully fit. So it is clear that Rahul will not play in the fourth Test. With Rahul not in the team, Rajat Patidar may get another chance. Patidar has scored only 46 runs in two Tests. Patidar has yet to perform effectively. Devdutt Padikkal may be considered instead of Patidar. In the fourth Test, India will rely on the batting of captain Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Jasprit Bumrah has made his mark by taking 17 wickets in this Test series. According to workload management, the team management is trying to rest Bumrah and keep him fresh for the fifth Test.
Indian Team: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep, Akshar Patel, Devdutt Padikkal.
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