Beckenham [UK], July 17 : With the series on the line and India trailing 2-1, all eyes are on Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the crucial fourth Test at Manchester.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has offered some clarity, saying the team is leaning towards playing the star pacer, but a final call will only be made in Manchester.
India lost a nail-biting Test at Lord's by 22 runs, and Bumrah's presence is expected to be key as the visitors look to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
"No, we'll make that call (on Bumrah) in Manchester still," India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"We know we have got him for one of the last two Tests. It's pretty obvious that the series on the line now in Manchester so there will be a leaning towards playing him," he added.
"But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with The Oval. And looking at the last two games holistically as part of the series," he noted.
Bumrah came into the England tour with a carefully crafted plan, designed with inputs from the BCCI medical team to feature in only three of the five Tests, in order to manage his workload after back surgery in March. He sat out the second Test at Edgbaston despite a full week's break between matches, a move that drew criticism from many, including former India coach Ravi Shastri.
At Lord's, where Bumrah returned, he showed his class once again, picking up seven wickets including a fiery five-for in the first innings. With another eight-day gap before the Manchester Test, the pressure is now on the team management to strike the right balance between performance and player wellbeing.
It's not just Bumrah whose workload is under the scanner. Mohammed Siraj, India's highest wicket-taker in the series with 13 scalps at an average of 32.00, has already bowled 109 overs, the fourth-most in the series behind Shoaib Bashir, Chris Woakes, and Ben Carse.
On Tuesday, Bumrah, Siraj, and Akash Deep were seen doing only light fitness drills and did not bowl. Siraj did bat, and seemed in better spirits after the heartbreak of the Lord's, where a freak dismissal ended India's chase.
Another area of concern is Rishabh Pant's injury. The wicketkeeper-batter has not fully recovered from the blow he took to his left index finger while diving during England's first innings at Lord's. Though he bravely batted in both innings, he couldn't keep wickets, with Dhruv Jurel taking over behind the stumps.
Pant stayed away from batting or keeping drills, instead opting for light training. There was no taping on his finger, but it's understood that the pain from impact still lingers.
Ten Doeschate sounded hopeful, "He (Pant) will bat in Manchester before the Test."
"Look, I don't think you're going to keep Rishabh out of the Test no matter what. He batted with quite a lot of pain in the third Test, and it's only going to get easier and easier on his finger. And keeping's obviously the last part of the process to make sure that he can keep. We don't want to go through that again where we have to replace the keeper halfway through innings," he added.
The assistant coach also hinted on Dhruv Jurel.
"Jurel's in the equation, but I mean obviously if Rishabh's fit, he plays the next Test and does both," he noted.