Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant Likely to Return for Fourth Test Against England at Old Trafford
India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant are expected to return to the playing XI for the fourth Test against England, scheduled to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford. The development comes as India looks to bounce back and level the five-match series after a mixed set of performances in the first three Tests.
Bumrah, who was rested for the second Test at Edgbaston as part of a planned rotation policy, returned to action in the third Test at Lord’s and made an immediate impact with a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that India remains committed to rotating Bumrah due to his workload management, a policy in place since he sustained a stress reaction in his back during the Sydney Test against Australia in January.
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Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier revealed that Bumrah would not be playing back-to-back Tests to ensure long-term fitness and reduce injury risk. With the series evenly poised, Bumrah’s availability for the crucial Old Trafford Test is expected to bolster India’s pace attack significantly.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant is also on track for a return behind the stumps after recovering from a finger injury sustained during the third Test. On Day 1 at Lord’s, Pant attempted to stop a delivery from Bumrah in the 34th over but failed to collect it cleanly, leading to byes and immediate discomfort. He left the field for medical treatment and was replaced by Dhruv Jurel for the rest of the match’s wicketkeeping duties.
Despite the injury, Pant continued to bat and made a crucial contribution in the first innings with a powerful 74 off 112 balls, including two massive sixes that saw him surpass Viv Richards’ record for most sixes against England in Tests. His second-innings outing was short-lived as he was bowled by a sharp delivery from Jofra Archer for just 9 runs. Though unfit to keep wickets during the third Test, Pant is now expected to be fully recovered and ready to don the gloves again in the fourth match.
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