“Do they play Jasprit Bumrah?” - Steve Harmison suggests big changes to India XI for fifth Test

According to former England fast bowler Steve Harmison, Team India may have to make a difficult decision when it comes to Jasprit Bumrah for the fifth Test match against England, given the amount of bowling he has done in the three tests he has played.

Serious concerns were raised for the visitors when the Indian speedster hobbled throughout the fourth Test at Old Trafford due to an ankle ailment.

With final stats of 2-112 off 33 overs, Bumrah's bowling speeds were completely off the mark. For the first time in his Test career, he gave up more than 100 runs in an innings. The pacer had a memorable contest with little help from the pitch or overhead circumstances.

Captain Shubman Gill stated that Bumrah's participation for the fifth Test at The Oval will need to be evaluated following the match's draw. In contrast, head coach Gautam Gambhir said there are no concerns about injuries in the bowling department.

“If he feels like he’s fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us. If he’s not playing, I still think we have the right kind of bowling attack,” Gill said in the post-match presentation.

In three test matches so far, he has bowled 119.4 overs in five innings, or about 24 overs per inning.

The squad would be tempted to call him back for the series finale, though, since he has 14 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls from three games, making him India's joint-highest wicket-taker in the series.

Do they play Bumrah? - Steve Harmison gives his thoughts

Former England cricketer Steve Harmison discussed changes to the Indian XI for the fifth and final test to be played at the Oval from July 31. He stated that India needs fresher fast bowlers for the final Test and also stated that the team management should think thoroughly about playing Jasprit Bumrah or not, given his weariness.

"I think both teams will be scratching their heads going into it (5th Test). If Arshdeep Singh is fit, he plays. Kuldeep Yadav—they might have to look at him playing, and then they have got the big decision: do they play Bumrah? Looking at what we have had here, Bumrah looks tired; he looks really, really tired," Harmison said on talkSPORT.

"You might have to make a difficult decision and say, ‘We're going to have to go without him, because we have asked a lot of him to keep him in this series.' Somebody else will have to carry the workload from there," he added.

It's unclear if Bumrah will be asked to play for the fourth time in the series, but India's batting marathon in the second innings has given him some extra rest before the fifth Test.

Regardless of the series' current status, the team management had stated before the tour that the speedster would only be available for three games.

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