Pant Out, Bumrah in Doubt: India’s Big Decisions Ahead of Oval Test

India may reconsider Jasprit Bumrah's workload plan for the Oval Test after a gritty draw at Old Trafford; Rishabh Pant ruled out with a broken foot.

Jasprit Bumrah (Image Source: Google)

India will consider whether to go back on their plan to restrict Jasprit Bumrah to just three Tests in England after keeping a five-match series alive with a battling draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Bumrah's back injury earlier this year led India to announce the outstanding fast bowler would only feature in three games of the England series in a bid to manage his workload.

And the world's top-ranked Test bowler made his third appearance of the campaign in Manchester where India batted out five sessions and 143 overs to deny England an unassailable 3-1 series lead.

India could now field Bumrah when they try to end the series all square at 2-2 in next week's concluding Test at the Oval.

But with that clash in south London starting on Thursday, there is little time for Bumrah to recover after he sent down a tiring 33 overs during England's mammoth 669.

Bumrah's return of 2-112 also meant the 31-year-old conceded more than a hundred runs in an innings for the first time in his celebrated 48-Test career.

But India captain Shubman Gill insisted he would be delighted to have Bumrah in his side for the finale.

"If he feels like he's fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us," Gill  told the BBC. "If he's not playing, I still think we have the right kind of bowling attack.

"Akash Deep is available for the last Test, so we will have a bowling attack that could take 20 wickets for us."

- Pant ruled out -

India will have to make at least one change, with Rishabh Pant ruled out after the wicketkeeper-batsman suffered a broken foot at Old Trafford.

Pant left the field on a buggy on the opening day after edging Chris Woakes onto his boot when on 37 but returned less than 24 hours later, making 17 further runs before he was out for 54 in India's first-innings 358.

"Rishabh, already it's been declared that he's out of this series," India coach Gautam Gambhir told reporters. "The character and the foundation of this team will be built on what Rishabh did for the team and the country.

"Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot."

After Gill had made a fine hundred, his fourth of the series, there was a farcical finish to the fourth Test after Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja rejected England's offer to end proceedings with 15 overs remaining –- the earliest a draw could have been agreed.

The pair had performed superbly to bat out the final two sessions and spare India defeat, but on 80 and 89 respectively, they wanted to underline their gutsy displays with hundreds.

England were unimpressed with captain Ben Stokes bringing on batsman Harry Brook for 'help yourself' runs.

Jadeja was the first to capitalise on the 'buffet bowling' before Sundar followed him to three figures for a maiden Test hundred.

But Gambhir, a former India batsman, said: "If someone from England had been batting on 90 or 85, if someone has the opportunity to get a first Test hundred, would you allow him to do it?

"They weathered the storm...Both those guys deserved a hundred and fortunately they got it."

But Stokes said: "That partnership was massive, they played incredibly well and I don't think there would have been too much more satisfaction at walking off 100 not out than 80 or 90.

"Scoring 10 more runs isn’t going to change the fact you’ve got your team out of a very, very tricky situation and saved your team from a series defeat."