Former vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has advised India to pick Arshdeep Singh in the XI for the Manchester Test in case Jasprit Bumrah gets rested to manage his workload.
Arshdeep is yet to make his Test debut but has experience of playing red-ball cricket in England. The left-arm pace played county cricket for Kent in 2023, where he picked 13 wickets in 5 matches. Meanwhile, there are rumours of India’s plan to rest Bumrah for the fourth Test to manage his workload.
Rahane has expressed strong confidence in Arshdeep’s suitability for English conditions, singling out Old Trafford as a venue where his abilities could be particularly valuable. He emphasised that Arshdeep’s left-arm angle and his capacity to swing the ball both ways are significant assets on pitches that reward seam and swing.
“I think so, yes. If Bumrah is not playing, Arshdeep is the guy. Because in England, you need a left-arm seamer who can swing the ball both ways, and also, with a different angle, he can create that rough for the spinners. So, if Bumrah doesn’t play, Arshdeep should play the next one,” Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
Arshdeep suffers injury in training
However, Arshdeep suffered an injury scare during a net session at Beckenham on Thursday.
Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate provided an update on Arsdeep’s injury, which he suffered during the net sessions at Beckenham.
Speaking to the media about Arshdeep’s injury, Ryan ten Doeschate said, “He took a ball, while he was bowling there, the side of the ball; he tried to stop the ball. It’s just a cut, so we have to see how bad the cut is. Obviously, the medical team is taking him to see a doctor, and if he needs stitches, that is going to be important to our planning for the next few days.”
Bumrah has been in sensational form throughout the series, claiming 12 wickets in two Tests, including two five-wicket hauls. However, to manage his workload and avoid aggravating his chronic back issues, the Indian team management and medical staff had decided before the tour that he would play only three Tests.
Meanwhile, with India currently trailing 1-2, the team management might alter their plans for Bumrah, and he might play in Manchester to help them level the series.