Srinagar: The uncertainty over participation India’s pace ace Jasprit Bumrah in the second Test vs England remains as team’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Monday, said that the decision regarding pacers retention for the second Test will be taken at the 11th hour.
Prior to the ongoing five-match away series against England, reports within Indian media had suggested that ace pacer Bumrah would only feature in three Tests due to workload management.
Bumrah featured in the series opener in Leeds and registered a five-wicket haul in the first series but went wicketless in the second as England chased down a stiff 371-run target to clinch the victory.
Bumrah participated in the optional training session on Saturday and bowled for around 30 minutes, fuelling the speculations of him featuring in the second Test.
“Bumrah is ready to play. It’s how we manage these four Tests. So if we feel like there’s value in playing him in this Test, we’ll make that call at the very last minute,” said ten Doeschate.
“I’m talking about weather, how the pitch is going to play, are we better off holding him back for Lord’s and maybe Manchester or The Oval? So it’s all those factors, but you’ve seen him train yesterday, he trained a little bit today.
“It’s not like he’s not fit to play. It’s just trying to fit those puzzle pieces to get the most out of what we know we do have from him.”