Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has decided to skip the final Test against England, beginning in Ahmedabad on Thursday, as he was released from the Indian squad owing to personal reasons.
According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), there will no replacement for Bumrah in the squad for the last Test.
“Jasprit Bumrah made a request to BCCI to be released from India’s squad ahead of the fourth Test owing to personal reasons,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Saturday. “Accordingly, the fast bowler has been released and he will not be available for selection for the fourth Test.”
Bumrah has already been rested for the limited-over series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs and beginning on March 12, as part of the team’s workload management programme.
With India leading the ongoing Test series 2-1 and the wicket at the Motera stadium for the final Test unlikely to be a paradise for fast bowlers, one assumes that the hosts will not be missing the top pacer to a great extent.
The 27-year-old bowled six overs in the third Test at Motera and went wicketless.
He has been hopping from one bio-bubble to another since last August. He first played in the IPL, then flew to Australia with the Indian team, and after returning home, he has played in the first and third Tests against England.