The India head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed that the team will be considering resting the pacer Jasprit Bumrah based on the result of the second test against New Zealand in Pune.
Bumrah has played three tests in a row including a two-match test series against Bangladesh and is the important player in the Indian pace attack, which already has a blowback with the absence of Mohammed Shami.
With five tests against Australia approaching, Gambhir was asked about Bumrah’s Workload.
“Once the series is over, we still have around 10 or 12 days before the Test starts in Australia. So, that’s enough break for our fast bowlers as well. But we will still monitor after this Test match where Jasprit Bumrah is.
“But it’s not only about Jasprit Bumrah,” he added, “It’s about all the fast bowlers as well. We want to keep them fresh. We know that obviously we’ve got a long tour and an important tour of Australia. But workload management will definitely depend on what the outcome of this Test match is and how much have they bowled in this Test match.”
India will be boosted by the likes of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for the second test. With both cleared the fitness tests, India will be aiming for a revenge in Pune.
“Shubhman Gill was injured in the last match. It’s not that he didn’t come in the team. He didn’t play the last match because of the injury. It started in his neck.”
“So, obviously, the way his performance has been against Bangladesh, obviously, he will come back to the Playing XI. Rest, the Playing XI has not been decided yet. We will see the Playing XI tomorrow morning and decide what combination we want to go with.”
“Ultimately, whichever combination we go with, we will go with the combination so that we can win this test match,” said Gambhir.
The conditions in Pune are expected to favour the spinners due to its drier surface. The city has seen some rain in the leadup to the test but temperatures have been on the higher side.
“I think there is no one in this world who can predict how the wicket is going to behave. To be very honest, no one can.
“Yes, we feel that I think the wicket is going to be a typical Indian wicket. We back our bowlers to do the job and we back our batters to get runs on this wicket as well. But again, I think till the time the game is not started, we can’t predict how the wicket is going to behave.
“And till the time both the teams haven’t batted on this wicket, we can’t expect to predict anything either,” he said.
Trailing the series, India will be looking for a victory in the second test to level the series. The second test of the test series will begin on October 24 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
