New Delhi [India], July 23 : Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes the struggles of Indian seamers to stay fit for a long time have become a "serious issue" and need to be tackled "properly".
With India trailing 1-2 against England in a five-match series and in a must-win situation, the tourists' camp has been plagued by injuries ahead of the contest in Manchester on Wednesday.
Akash Deep, the hero of India's historic Test win at Edgbaston, is battling a groin injury. Arshdeep Singh, who is yet to earn his maiden Test cap, hurt his hand during a training session in Beckenham. With India plagued by injuries, Anshul Kamboj was sent to Manchester to bolster the depleted pace bowling attack.
Before Akash's recent setback, he was away from the on-field action due to a long injury lay-off. During India's tour of Australia, Akash featured in two Tests and sustained a back injury, which kept him out for three months. He returned to the field for Lucknow Super Giants in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"I think there is a choice. But there are all untested young seam bowlers with talent. Arshdeep is an exciting option, and Anshul Kamboj as well. I liked Harshit Rana in the one Test he played in Australia. There will always be seam bowlers around. But it is just the kind of scenario we have," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day.
Manjrekar labelled Akash's injury crisis as a "glaring example" of the current injury crisis and the bane of the Indian seamers. Apart from Akash, the world's best Jasprit Bumrah is restricted from competing in all five Tests as part of his workload management.
The precaution around Bumrah's usage stems from a stress reaction in his back during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January. As a result, the 31-year-old is taking part in three out of the five fixtures.
Young tearaway Mayank Yadav is another exciting talent who has missed the chance to test the speed gun. Mayank's time in the last edition of the IPL was cut down to four games due to a side strain.
During his recovery, he sustained another injury, which further delayed his return. He eventually regained fitness and returned with his breakneck pace to feature against Bangladesh in T20Is, but another injury setback hindered his progress.
The 22-year-old, who fetched a lucrative amount of Rs 11 crore for himself in the cash-rich league auction, recovered at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. After two appearances, the 23-year-old was forced to sit out due to a back injury.
"With the IPL, white-ball cricket, and Tests, we just don't have our fast bowlers staying fit long enough. Akash Deep is a glaring example. It is not like he has bowled a lot through the season, and hence, now, fit or workload management was not addressed properly," he said.
"I think it has become a serious issue where you don't have Indian seam bowlers staying fit long enough, and that has to be addressed by Indian cricket. We see young, exciting bowling talent in the IPL, and after three matches, they are not seen in the next season. Somebody needs to get to the bottom of it," he added.
India's squad for fourth Test: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj.