According to the latest reports of the ESPNCricinfo, Indian seamer Jasprit Bumrah is expected to miss the first three Tests of the five-match series against England which is scheduled to commence on August 1. He is still recovering from the thumb injury which he suffered in the first t20I against Ireland last month. Because of the injury, Jasprit had to miss T20I and ODI series against England.
It has also been expected that the Test squad will be announced on Wednesday and Bumrah is unlikely to find a place in it. As per the report, selectors might reward a place to Kuldeep Yadav for his strong performance against England picking up fifers in both first T20I and ODI. There are also chances of Rishabh Pant getting his maiden call-up for the Test series.
In absence of Bumrah, Mohammed Shami will play a pivotal role in the squad, as he has also cleared the mandatory yo-yo fitness test. Shami joins the fast-bowling contingent which includes Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav. Allrounder Hardik Pandya is also included in the seam-bowling options.
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Kuldeep, who was India’s highest wicket-taker in the limited-overs leg against England, will be part of a three-man spin attack comprising R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
In the wicketkeeping department, Wriddhiman Saha is yet to be recovered from the thumb injury picked up in the IPL and Dinesh Karthik is the first choice wicketkeeper. Keeping that in mind, Pant’s inclusion in the squad can be interesting. He is currently in the UK playing for India A against the Lions with 15 dismissals on the A tour.
In the post-match presentation, after losing the ODI series, Kohli said he and the selectors did not have to make any hard decisions. He said, “Our squad is pretty settled. We are really excited to be going into a lengthy Test series. It is going to be very challenging, but something that we are looking forward to as a side. We want to play hard cricket. We want to play tough cricket, which I’m sure the English team would provide us. It is going to be a hard-fought series between two quality sides.”
