Arshdeep Singh – Injured
Akash Deep – Injured
Nitish Kumar Reddy – Injured
These are the bowlers who’ve been ruled out of the Manchester Test due to injury. But if not them… then who?
India’s fast-bowling cupboard is quite literally empty. The situation now is such that Jasprit Bumrah has to play the 4th Test, which means he will almost certainly be rested for the final one.
Mohammed Siraj will be there, no question. But after that? Are we really back to Prasidh Krishna, who turned leaking runs into an art form? Or Shardul Thakur — who played just one Test this series and bowled only 16 overs across both innings?
Looks like there’s no one left, right? Wrong.
Remember Anshul Kamboj? The fast bowler who lit it up for India A against the England Lions recently — so much so that everyone felt he had to be fast-tracked into the national side?
Well, guess what. He’s in. And given the current situation, he’s almost certain to make his Test debut in Manchester. Jadeja will obviously play. Washington Sundar is likely to retain his spot too. But that still leaves one place up for grabs.
While most teams would’ve gone with an extra pacer, India seems ready to toss Kuldeep Yadav into the mix. So that means… three pacers and three spinners? Yep.
Old Trafford has a flat pitch and is known to assist wrist-spinners, so in theory, it makes sense to bring in Kuldeep. But truthfully, this feels less like strategy and more like desperation.
OG Team India fans must be getting major déjà vu. The last time the squad was this injury-hit, it was the 2021 tour of Australia — half the team was injured, the other half was unknown… and yet, India pulled off one of the most iconic comebacks in Test history. So, England — beware. Because when India’s back is against the wall, that’s when they hit back hardest.
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