Is Bumrah Ready for Edgbaston? Ten Doeschate Weighs In

Birmingham, June 30 (NationPress) Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach of India, confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah is eligible for selection for the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, which kicks off at Edgbaston on July 2. He also mentioned that the Indian coaching staff is prepared to make a last-minute decision regarding Bumrah's participation in the match.

During training sessions in Birmingham, Bumrah, who previously took five wickets in Leeds, alternated between bowling intensely and conversing with teammates, including head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“He's ready for the match, obviously. From the outset, we knew he would only participate in three out of five games. He has had eight days to recuperate since the last Test. However, considering the conditions, his workload, and our strategy for the next four matches, we haven't reached a decision yet,” said ten Doeschate.

“We will assess the workloads of the other players too. So technically, yes, he is available. But a decision on whether he will play remains pending,” he added during a press briefing on Monday.

With Bumrah expected to feature in only three out of five Tests due to workload considerations, his involvement at Edgbaston is still uncertain.

“If we determine that there is merit in playing him in this Test, we will finalize that decision at the last moment. But we are considering factors like pitch conditions. Should we reserve him for Lord's, perhaps Manchester or The Oval? It's all about those aspects,” he explained.

“As you saw, he trained yesterday, and he did some work today as well. It’s not a matter of fitness; we just need to align all the pieces to maximize his potential and what we know he can offer,” he continued.

In their recent five-wicket loss at Headingley, India dropped six catches, with Yashasvi Jaiswal letting go of four. During Monday's practice, India arranged their slip cordon with Karun Nair at first slip, KL Rahul at second, and captain Shubman Gill at third.

In the fourth slip and gully positions, where Jaiswal fielded at Headingley, India practiced with B. Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy respectively. Ten Doeschate highlighted the importance of versatility in close catching positions and managing Jaiswal's confidence after shifting him out of the slip cordon.

“We always aim for depth in our catching unit. In England, it’s crucial to have four catchers at various stages of play. Yashasvi has proven to be an excellent catcher for us. We want to nurture his confidence. The short leg position is also vital, especially if we decide to play two spinners,” he noted.

“We want to include more players in that role. The more adaptable our fielding unit is, the more tasks they can handle. Perhaps giving Yashasvi a brief respite from gully catching is wise; his hands are sore. We aim to rebuild his confidence,” he concluded.

Despite weather forecasts suggesting rain on days 1, 4, and 5, the dry nature of the Edgbaston pitch could prompt India to consider playing two spinners, with Washington Sundar a strong contender for the second spinner's spot ahead of Kuldeep Yadav.

“There’s a strong possibility of playing two spinners. The question is which two to select, which ties back to the previous query about balancing batting depth. All three spinners are performing well. Washi is batting impressively. So it’s about choosing the right mix: a bowling all-rounder or a pure spinner,” he elaborated.

“We obviously need to include the bowling all-rounder again. The pitch is quite grassy and patchy but also dry underneath. However, rain is forecast for Wednesday. We are carefully weighing our attacking options. Nonetheless, I am fairly certain that two spinners will participate in this Test,” ten Doeschate stated.

He concluded by mentioning that seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy could be included, with Shardul Thakur potentially making way for him. “He is very close to getting a game. His performance in Australia was outstanding—coming into the team and playing as he did,” he noted.

“We believed that for the last match, opting for the bowling all-rounder was prudent, with Shardul being slightly more effective in the bowling department. We are reevaluating our strategy to include a batting all-rounder. Naturally, Nitish is currently our top batting all-rounder. He has a solid chance of participating in this Test,” he added.