Ranchi, Feb 22
With India opting to rest fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming fourth Test against England starting on Friday at the JSCA International Stadium, it means that the hosts’ have an uphill task at their hands in a bid to seal the series here.
Batting coach Vikram Rathour said the team would have loved for Bumrah, the leading wicket-taker in the series with 17 scalps, to play all matches, but pointed out the need to manage the workload of India’s vice-captain, citing the 80.5 overs he’s bowled in the first three games.
“Every Test match is crucial, to be honest. With WTC points, every game is crucial. Even we would love to have Bumrah play all the games. But unfortunately, that is not very advisable because of the workload he has had in the last three games. He has bowled well and with a lot of heart and effort.”
“For the kind of schedule we have in the future, with IPL and all, it was felt by everybody involved that he should be given a break. Otherwise, he is fine physically. But it was felt that he should get a break because there was hardly any turnaround time between the games,” said Rathour in the pre-match press conference.
India are also missing KL Rahul’s services due to a quadriceps injury sustained after playing in the opening Test at Hyderabad. The BCCI’s statement had read that Rahul was 90 per cent match-fit, but he was still ruled out of the Ranchi Test.
“At the moment he is not (fit). I am not sure about the percent or what stage he is in. Only the medical team can confirm that. As far as we are concerned, he is not available and we are focusing on the team we have,” added Rathour, the former India opener. Rathour also backed middle-order batter Rajat Patidar to come good in the Ranchi Test, after the right-handed middle-order batter amassed just 46 runs at an average of 11.5 in first two matches of his career in the longer format.
“We have been having a lot of conversations with him. One thing he has to understand is that this is how this game works. He has been batting really well and scoring a lot of runs to get into the team.”
“Two poor games don’t make him a bad player. He just had two tough games, couple of awkward dismissals, which can happen to anyone. There is absolutely no doubt that he is a good player. On his day, he will come up with an impactful innings,” stated Rathour.
He signed off by saying India have the personnel in their ranks to counter any challenge thrown by the pitch at Ranchi. “Every time we play in India, there is always a conversation about the pitch. This looks like a typical Indian wicket and seems like it will turn. But I am not sure how much it will turn or when will it start to. We have the required balance in our team to deal with any situation.”
