Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been given rest for the fourth Test between India and England set to take place in Ranchi from 23 February, to manage his workload. Bumrah bowled 80.5 overs in the first three Tests against England and thus has not been included in the squad for the Ranchi Test to give some rest to his body.
KL Rahul, who missed the second and third Tests will remain out of action in the fourth Test as well. His presence in the final Test in Dharamsala is also subject to fitness.
Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far, with 17 wickets to his name. India lead the five match series 2-1.
Rahul, on the other hand, played the first Test, scoring 86 and 22 runs in the first and second innings respectively, though India lost the match to England. A quadricep injury then kept him out of the second Test in Vishakhapatnam. His place in the squad for the remainder of the series was made subjective to his fitness assessment.
Mukesh Kumar celebrates the wicket of South Africas Keshav Maharaj on the first day of the second Test cricket match between India and South Africa, at the Newlands Cricket Ground, in Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024.
Image: PTI
Mukesh Kumar though has returned to the squad for the fourth Test in Ranchi, after being released from the team ahead of the third Test, to play Ranji Trophy. He had earlier played the second Test in Vishakhapatnam in the absence of Mohammed Siraj but bowled only 12 overs, recording the figures of 1/70.
After getting dropped from the third Test, Mukesh played the Ranji Trophy match between Bengal and Bihar, where he displayed his career-best performance, picking 10 wickets while giving away 50 runs to help Bengal record a massive victory.
In Bumrah's absence, Mukesh and the uncapped Akash Deep will be considered the secondary choice for pacer with Mohammed Siraj leading the pace attack. Akash Deep was included in the squad for the final three Tests after he delivered an exceptional performance for India A against England Lions, emerging as the leading wicket-taker.
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