Oval Test: The Bumrah decision, the Kuldeep no-brainer and the Arshdeep call

The series might still be alive, and while the entire focus right now will be on changing the scoreline that currently reads 1-2 to 2-2, there are a few uncomfortable questions that the Team India management will have to answer when the post-mortem of the series happens.

Perhaps the one on top of the pile will be – why wasn’t Kuldeep Yadav played (so far at least in the first four Tests)?

After a miracle draw in Manchester – one that saw four Indian batters play out of their skins – the visitors are still in with a chance to draw the series (which will be a repeat of the scoreline of their last tour to England in 2020-21 when the 5-Test series ended 2-2). Don’t expect any changes in the batting department, barring the forced change of Dhruv Jurel coming in for the injured Rishabh Pant.

The bowling department, however, is another story altogether.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir had confirmed that all fast bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, are fit ahead of the fifth and final Test at the Oval, which begins on Thursday (July 31). Reports coming in from England on the eve of the final Test, though, indicate that Bumrah has been advised by the BCCI medical team to stick to the pre-decided formula of playing just three Tests and no more for the sake of his own physical well-being.

Though the series is on the line and Team India would have desperately wanted their premier strike bowler to be part of the playing XI at the Oval, with captain Shubman Gill telling British Sports radio programme – ‘Test Match Special’ earlier – “If he (Bumrah) feels like he’s fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us,” the call not to risk an Australia-like breakdown is a smart one. Former cricketers in the past have opined how a similar back injury or flare-up might signal the end of his career.

Resting Bumrah, a decision well-planned

Also, in many ways, if the decision was to play Bumrah, that could well have set the tone for future away series.

Though the number one priority as far as Bumrah is concerned is to make triple sure that he doesn’t suffer a breakdown like he did in earlier this year, which subsequently saw him miss the ICC Champions Trophy, if the management and one of the world’s current best strike bowlers took the joint-call of going ahead and playing that might have also set a very dangerous precedent. What happens next time Team India are behind the 8-ball in an away Test series and Bumrah has already played the stipulated three Tests? Once there is a precedent, it becomes very difficult to manage fan and overall public expectations.

One thing that most experts noted at the Old Trafford Test was how Bumrah’s pace was significantly down. He sent down a total of 198 deliveries (33 overs) in the fourth Test and, according to some reports, less than 1% one of them touched the 140kmph mark. He did have trouble with the landing spot at his end, but with a very quick turnaround between the Manchester and Oval Tests, for him to play his third straight Test of the series would have been a massive risk. Bumrah has so far played two Tests at the Oval and taken a total of seven wickets with best innings figures of 3/83.

One fast bowler who could well be back in the playing XI is the hero of Edgbaston - Akash Deep – and that could be an almost like-for-like swap for Bumrah. But Anshul Kamboj is also likely to be dropped. So, who comes in to replace him? It could then be a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna and the now fully-recovered Arshdeep Singh.

Prasidh has already played two Tests in the series, but wasn’t really impressive, with best innings figures of 3/128 and an average of 55.16. Former India captain Anjum Chopra recently told me that she was surprised Arshdeep wasn’t played in the first Test in Leeds itself. The left-arm seamer, who has already played 63 T20Is and 9 ODIs, could produce almost Zaheer Khan-like angles. The former India great was a potent force in English conditions, especially after his Worcestershire stint and Arshdeep, with a stint with Kent under his belt last year, during which he took 13 wickets in five Division 1 matches, could well be a trump card Gill and co. haven’t played yet. In many ways, Arshdeep might just have a better chance of playing at the Oval than Praisdh.

Many feel Shardul Thakur – the most expensive Indian bowler in Manchester in terms of economy rate (5) - might also lose his spot in the playing XI, but that would mean the team management being alright with playing one bowling all-rounder less.

Technically, Mohammed Siraj, who always bowls his heart out, deserves a workload break too, but with the series on the line, that is very, very unlikely.

But hold on. Surely Kuldeep Yadav will get a look-in at the Oval?

So, how does the team management fit in Kuldeep? There is no way that either Ravindra Jadeja – a first-choice pick in the XI or Washington Sundar, who dug in deep to help save the Manchester Test with a gritty 101* will be shown the door, especially when there is talk of the Oval pitch assisting spinners, even though recent Test match pitches there haven’t been too spin-friendly.

In the last Test that was played at this venue, in September 2024, between England and Sri Lanka, spinners from both teams took only 3 wickets combined in the match. The Lankans didn’t even bowl a spinner in the England second innings and got the home team all out for 156, before wrapping up an 8-wicket win.

Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel went on record in Manchester to say – “Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just (that we need) more consistent runs from our top six, so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in.”

Ignoring Kuldeep is becoming impossible

Well, the India top 6 made 425 runs combined in their second innings at Old Trafford with three century-plus scores and a 90 and with two batters falling for ducks. So, if the team is now feeling more comfortable about not having an all-rounder at number 8, Kuldeep can be drafted in in place of Shardul. That would mean India bat till number 7 (Sundar), followed by Kuldeep, Akash Deep, Prasidh/Arshdeep and Siraj (in no particular order).  That would give India three spin and three pace options in the bowling department.

In that case, Kuldeep could just be brought in in place of Kamboj.

However, don’t be surprised if the visiting team decides to have that extra batting cushion again in the fifth Test. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak went on record to say – “You cannot go like ‘because last game three guys got 100s, we can play a batter less.”

Whatever the final combination looks like, an attacking, wicket-taking option like Kuldeep has to be given a chance, at a time when nothing short of a win will be satisfactory, especially considering Team India could and should have wrapped up the entire series in the first three Tests itself.

According to Morkel, Kuldeep has been bowling well in the nets. The left-arm wrist-spinner hasn’t played Test cricket since the first Test vs New Zealand, at home, in Bengaluru in October last year. He missed the tour of Australia after being sent to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for long-term resolution of his chronic left groin issue.’

It’s a no-brainer that Kuldeep will be itching to play. Considering England haven’t faced him on this tour at all, playing him should also perhaps be a no-brainer. And if Arshdeep is also played, that might just be the ‘surprise’ one-two punch that helps India take the 20 wickets they need to square the series and walk out with their heads held high.