IND vs ENG 2025: India might play Bumrah in Manchester after two fast bowlers ruled out with injuries

Team India has a selection dilemma ahead of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester starting next Wednesday (Jul 23). Considering Jasprit Bumrah’s restricted playing time in the UK due to his back-related injury issues, Team India might play him back-to-back games on this tour, which the team doctors advised against ahead of the series, and it’s because of the growing uncertainty around two other seamers – Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep, who suffered respective injuries following the Lord’s Test that India lost by 22 runs. While Akash Deep was part of the playing XI in that game, Arshdeep was yet to make his Test debut.

Bumrah is India’s second-highest wicket-taker thus far in this series, picking 12 wickets in two contested matches, including picking five-fors in both games. India, however, failed to win the two matches he featured in (Leeds and Lord’s), but won the second one at Edgbaston, where India rested him as part of his playing-time itinerary on this English tour.

Now that he has played two out of the three matches he was supposed to play in, Bumrah must play only one of the remaining two to ensure his body doesn’t break like it did on the tour Down Under; however, there, India made him play all five matches.

With two other pacers likely out of contention for the fourth Test, Team India is not without many options to choose from. Mohammed Siraj, who played all three Tests and is a leading wicket-taker thus far (13 scalps), could retain his place, with Bumrah also playing the fourth Test, leaving the Indian management with one off Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur and just-recalled seamer Anshul Kamboj as the first-change quick.

What happened to Arshdeep and Akash Deep?

Team India could have rested Bumrah in Manchester and played uncapped Arshdeep Singh in his place; however, an untimely injury to him during a training session in Beckenham on Thursday, with Akash Deep also suffering an injury, forced the management to change plans at the last minute.

While the left-handed seamer Arshdeep Singh hurt his bowling arm in his follow-through during practice, Akash Deep picked up a groin niggle, the signs of which he showed during the Lord’s Test.

Although Shardul is another pace-bowling option Team India could use in Manchester, India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate hinted at retaining Bumrah in the fourth Test, with uncapped Anshul Kamboj, a stocky right-arm pacer, could enter the selection frame.