Super selector: India's Test

Team management frets over availability of Bumrah, bowling combination ahead of 5th tie

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SOON after the loss in the first Test at Leeds, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has affirmed that they will not change their plan to play Jasprit Bumrah in only three of the five matches of the series.

"We won't change it. For us, managing his workload is more important. There is a lot of cricket going forward," Gambhir had told journalists after the first Test.

More than a month later, with the series literally hanging in the balance and India needing to win the fifth match starting at The Oval on Thursday, Gambhir and Co have to take an important call: should Bumrah play or not? And there are reasons for both. It's not that India's pace attack becomes toothless in the absence of Bumrah.

They showed it during the second match in Edgbaston under Mohammed Siraj. The Hyderabad pacer and Akash Deep bowled in tandem in the match to scalp a five-for each and help India level the series 1-1. They lost with Bumrah at Lord's and made a remarkable comeback and drew the Manchester Test through their 143-over batting over five sessions.