- Jasprit Bumrah did not travel with the rest of the Indian team on Tuesday.
- He is expected to be rested for Friday’s fourth Test against England in Ranchi.
- India leads the five-match series 2-1 after thrashing England by 434 runs in Rajkot.
India threw a new ingredient into the fourth Test mix on Tuesday as they arrived at this northwestern outpost without their star player Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah was nowhere to be seen as India and England made their way through the crowd that had gathered at Ranchi airport to receive their charter flight after arriving in a city that rarely sees international cricket.
It was later confirmed that Bumrah had returned to his home in Ahmedabad from nearby Rajkot after the third Test and unless he arrives late here on Wednesday or Thursday, it will be clear that he has been granted the rest he sought before the third proof.
Bumrah’s likely absence for Friday’s match has also led to speculation that the Ranchi pitch may be the kind of rank change that prevailed the last time England toured here in 2021 and suffered a 3-1 defeat.
If that is the case, then England, 2-1 down after the Rajkot rout, could revert to the three-spinner policy they employed at the start of this series, with Shoaib Bashir returning here for one of the two seamers who played in the third test on Jimmy Anderson and Mark Wood.
Jasprit Bumrah has not traveled with the Indian team to Ranchi and is expected to be rested for the fourth Test this week.
England could bring back Shoaib Bashir (right) for the fourth Test if India produce spin-friendly conditions.
Ollie Robinson is also vying to play his first Test since the Ashes last summer.
England will on Wednesday take a first look at a modern stadium that was built in honor of local hero MS Dhoni 12 years ago and will also consider giving Ollie Robinson his first game of cricket since limping away from the Ashes at Headingley in the summer past.
Robinson’s back spasm, suffered on the first day of the third Test, was the latest in a long line of fitness problems that have hampered a career that has still seen him take 76 wickets in his 19 Tests, with just 22 each. one.
It’s an impressive record but Robinson, who has just turned 30, again has everything to prove after his Ashes injury and then, after regaining fitness, he had an unscheduled break from playing county cricket before finally sign a new contract with Sussex.
It was significant that England only gave him a one-year central contract rather than a longer deal in October because they wanted to ensure there was no room for complacency as he looks to return to the Test squad.
Robinson has worked hard on his fitness during his prolonged absence from the game and, with his new highlighted blonde look, looks to be in good form here.
Now, with Ben Stokes also considering a return to bowling early after knee surgery, Robinson will find out if his last chance has finally come.