3 pacers, 3 spinners: Will India be tempted for some big bowling changes at the Oval?

The stage is now set for a thrilling finish to the England vs India series that has delivered everything. There has been some sensational batting, fierce bowling, and dramatic moments-whether it be the absolute cinema at Lord’s on Day 3 or Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar leaving Ben Stokes hanging as they refused to shake his hand in Manchester.

Now, let’s keep all that aside. India need to win the Oval Test to avoid a series defeat and head home with the scoreline at 2-2. The batting has been sensational, with Shubman Gill leading the way with 722 runs, while KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant have also contributed big. However, when it comes to the bowling, there has been a cause for concern. As we saw at Headingley and, to an extent, in Manchester, it felt like there were moments when the Indian bowling lacked spark and that elusive X-factor.

It was especially astonishing to see Jasprit Bumrah be a bit lacklustre in the 4th Test, conceding more than 100 runs in the only innings he bowled. Questions about his workload management have been the talk of the town ever since India arrived on English shores. He was scheduled to play three Tests, but now things are a little out of his hands, to say the least. India need the win, and they need their ace in the lineup for the next match.

After the Manchester Test draw, Gautam Gambhir said that all the pacers are fit and a decision on Bumrah will be made in due course-something Sitanshu Kotak also reiterated during the presser on July 29.

“We haven’t had any conversation around the combination for the last Test,” said Gambhir. “No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try and do the job for the country.”

Adding to this is the . The Indian spinner has barely got a look-in throughout the series, and pundits have been vocal about having him in the mix. Now, we all know that Dhruv Jurel is going to be one of the changes happening as Rishabh Pant is out. But what about the bowling? What approach will India take? Will they make a big change or stick to the original plan?

3 pacers and 3 spinners to deliver the win?

Let’s take the first case-three spinners and the same number of pacers. This means that Kuldeep finally gets his chance to play. But for that to happen, India may have to sacrifice one of the all-rounders.

This likely means either Shardul Thakur or Washington Sundar will have to make way. We all know that Sundar has sealed his spot with the way he bowled and batted in Manchester, and no one would dare think about removing Ravindra Jadeja. This means the axe may fall on Shardul. The Mumbai all-rounder bowled just 27 overs across three innings and has two wickets. It seems that captain Shubman Gill isn’t a fan of his bowling and would rather stick to his frontline players.

While there is a case to be made about India’s fragile lower order and how Shardul scored a brave 41 in the first innings in Manchester, Sundar’s brilliance and the arrival of Jurel will provide some much-needed strength to the batting order. This opens the door for Kuldeep to come in and form an all-out spin attack with Jadeja and Sundar that can truly trouble England. This is something R Ashwin advocated for right after the Manchester Test.

“If you are only planning to give Shardul Thakur this many overs, and expect 20-30 runs from him. I love Shardul Thakur, I like him a lot, but if this is the usage point, why can’t you consider Kuldeep Yadav? It is just blowing my head away. I know it seems against the grain because there are three spinners, but it is not that way, Jadeja is a specialist batter for you now. Washington Sundar is also batting well. When your bowlers can bat so well, why are you not bringing an attacking bowler?” said Ashwin.

Now, coming to the pace attack-expect Akash Deep to be back to replace Anshul Kamboj, who had a poor debut outing. The big question remains about Bumrah. If he does play, then the bowling attack will be a menacing one, with the Indian ace and Kuldeep being the game-changers.

If he doesn’t, it could be a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna-who has been out of contention since the third Test-and Arshdeep Singh, who is ready to make his debut. In a scenario where India wants that extra batting cushion and Bumrah isn’t playing, then Shardul can be used as the third pacer, but his number of overs will need to seriously increase.

India’s 3+3 bowling lineup: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah/Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj.

Sticking to the main plan

What has worked-and sometimes struggled-for India this series has been the three pacers and two spinners mantra, with a pace-bowling all-rounder in the mix. This will mean that Kuldeep will once again head home without playing a single Test in England, and Shardul will retain his spot.

The pacer selection would remain the same, with Bumrah or Arshdeep leading the way alongside Akash Deep and Siraj. While this has yielded mixed results, the idea for the management might be to not go for too many changes in a crucial game.

The issue, as mentioned before, is that India has lacked spark at times, and the visitors desperately need it now. India are known to keep everyone guessing when it comes to their lineup, and it may not be a big surprise if they select the 3+3 method.

To win the game, you need your best team. And at the moment, Kuldeep being there seems to be the right choice.

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