India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour said that Jasprit Bumrah’s abdominal strain is being monitored by the medical team but he indicated that the management is going to make some major changes to the XI for the final Test of the four-match series starting in Brisbane on Friday.
The management won’t risk a half-fit Bumrah in this match as he will be a vital weapon for the Indian side for the upcoming series against England starting at home on February 5. However, Rathour didn’t rule him out of contention from the match completely as the management wants to keep the Australian camp guessing.
“The medical team is working with Bumrah, we have to see tomorrow morning whether he is fit to play the fourth Test or not. If he can play, he will play, if he cannot, then he won’t,” Rathour told reporters on the eve of fourth Test.
“Depending on advice from medical team we will take this call. If he can play, he will play, if he can”t, he won”t.
“The injuries are still being monitored. Our medical staff is looking into it, I would not be in a position to comment on this right now. We would like to give them as much time as possible. It will be tomorrow morning that you will know which eleven takes the field,” Rathour added.
India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Mayank Agarwal aren’t fully fit as well. Ashwin encountered a back issue in the last match and Agarwal got hit on the helmet in Melbourne.
Rathour, however, believes that India will have the best XI on the field despite the injuries. According to him, whichever player makes it to the XI on Friday will be because they deserve to be at this level.
“With or without injuries, the eleven that India will put up will be the best eleven on the ground and all of them deserve to be there. All of them deserve the opportunity to play Test cricket and if they play to their potential, I don”t see why won”t do well,” he continued.
Rathour also hinted at Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur’s debut saying, “So we are again backing our processes and backing our players.”
It would be interesting to see if India plan to go into the match with both Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha in the XI. Rathour was asked this question as well but he didn’t give a clear response to it either.
“Still lot of injury concerns are there. They are still being monitored, and how they react to rehab process that they are going through, all these questions we can only answer tomorrow morning once we know who are XI which are going to play this game,” he said.