Jasprit Bumrah is set to return for 5th Test at Dharamsala; India star cricketer's inclusion still doubtful - Report

In the absence of some of the experienced campaigners, Indian youngsters stepped up against England’s ‘Bazball’ approach and played a significant role in clinching the series with an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the five-match series. 

While some of the players were unavailable before the series due to injuries and other personal emergencies, some got injured mid-series posing major roadblocks for Rohit Sharma but this young Indian team displayed grit and experience to overcome this challenge and emerged victorious.

India is now scheduled to play the final Test at Dharamshala from March 7th. Although India has already won the Test and the result of the match won’t have much significance on the series if we take a larger picture, then it becomes an important Test for India from the perspective of WTC standings. 

India is currently at the 2nd position at the WTC points table and followed by Australia who is to play the only Test of the series against New Zealand from Thursday. New Zealand is currently leading the WTC Championship table and it is going to be a close fight between these three teams to make it to the finals of the WTC 2023-25 cycle. Therefore, India will like to win as many matches as they can at home as they are to tour Australia at the end of the year which is going to be an uphill task. 

Jasprit Bumrah’s return and KL Rahul’s uncertain injury status

Jasprit Bumrah is currently the most lethal all-format bowler going around in the world and is a key player in India’s success across all formats. Despite having a significant role in the first three Tests, he was rested for the crucial 4th Test by the team management to manage his body load as he has been prone to injuries in the past.

However, according to reports, Jasprit Bumrah is set to return for the 5th and final Test of the series at Dharamshala which is going to further the already strong Indian bowling attack. But KL Rahul who played the first Test of the series was ruled out of the subsequent Tests because of pain in his right quadriceps. 

Reportedly, KL Rahul was 90% fit and was set to return to the Indian squad for the third Test but as of now even after the completion of four Test matches, KL Rahul is not expected to return anytime soon as he will fly to London to get his quadriceps examined as he is still feeling discomfort there. 

KL Rahul’s injury management raises serious doubt on the abilities and injury management skills of the NCA’s medical panel. Recently, the same happened with Mohammed Shami who is not set to miss the entire IPL, and his ankle injury was not properly managed by the NCA and recently he underwent surgery in London months after being away from cricket.