England appear set to receive a break from the threat of Jasprit Bumrah during the fourth Test after India’s attack leader was notably absent when the two teams touched down in Ranchi on Tuesday.
India had been toying with how to manage the 30-year-old’s workload and opted to push him into service during the third Test. Two more pivotal wickets followed to take Bumrah to 17 in the series overall and see the hosts win by a record 434 runs for a 2-1 lead.
But amid a swift turnaround – the fourth Test starts at the JSCA Stadium on Friday – Bumrah did not travel on the charter flight shared by the two sides and is understood to have returned to his family home in Ahmedabad, a four-hour drive from Rajkot.
Rest for Bumrah means respite for England and not least Joe Root, the No 4 having fallen to him in each of the three Tests to date, including the much-discussed reverse scoop to slip in Rajkot that triggered an ultimately match-defining collapse on the third day.
Mukesh Kumar, who played in the second Test in Vishakapatnman, and the uncapped Akash Deep are the spare seamers in India’s squad, although who comes in for Bumrah will also depend on the surface in Ranchi. If a turning pitch is prepared, Axar Patel could return to the XI, leaving Mohammad Siraj as their solitary seamer.
England will similarly have to consider the make-up of their attack, amid a growing expectation that Jimmy Anderson will be handed a breather. Mark Wood was notably held back on the fourth day in Rajkot, sending down just two overs, with seamer Ollie Robinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir the options to step up from the bench.
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The latter’s prospects may hinge on whether Ben Stokes feels ready to accelerate his return to all-rounder status. The England captain has resumed bowling in the nets on tour after knee surgery last November, with the summer his original goal. But in the wake of last Sunday’s defeat heavy came an admission this plan may now change.