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Gill Creates Suspense Over Bumrah's Selection; Provides Key Details On India XI For 5th Test

Debashis Sarangi

There are still doubts over Bumrah's exclusion from Oval Test [Source: AFP]There are still doubts over Bumrah's exclusion from Oval Test [Source: AFP]

Indian captain Shubman Gill has clarified that the call to rest premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the fifth Test isn't yet finalised. As per several reports, Bumrah is all set to miss the decider against England at Kennington Oval due to workload management. 

Gill Issues Clarity Over Bumrah's Exclusion Reports

Jasprit Bumrah's career has been marred by frequent injury setbacks. The fast bowler, who bagged two clinical five-wicket hauls at Headingley and Lord's, missed India's triumphant encounter at Edgbaston to manage his workload. 

With India preparing to take on the Englishmen at the Oval, several media outlets reported that the visitors would stick to their three-match policy and rest Bumrah for the finale. 

However, in the pre-match press conference, skipper Shubman Gill didn't confirm the speedster's exclusion, saying the team would take a call only after having a thorough investigation of the 22-yard playing strip. 

Gill stated that Kennington Oval's lush green wicket forced India to keep Bumrah in the mix while also hinting at Arshdeep Singh's potential Test debut at the iconic venue. 

"We will take a decision tomorrow, wicket looks very green. So let’s see. Arshdeep Singh has been asked to get ready but we will take a call on the Playing XI after looking at the pitch, by this evening. England haven’t picked a frontline spinner; we have Jadeja and Washi to do the job," Gill was quoted as saying by Sahil Malhotra from TOI. 

While Bumrah's selection still remains a mystery, Arshdeep's debut and Akash Deep's return could be the major highlights of the Indian playing XI for the Oval Test. Also, India are set to make a forced change to their combination, with Dhruv Jurel coming in place of Rishabh Pant, who got sidelined from the Test due to a fractured toe.