
India's mounting injury woes ahead of 4th Test: From Nitish Reddy blow to Rishabh Pant worry
After suffering a side-strain during the white-ball series against England at home, Nitish spent a considerable time at the NCA before being cleared to feature in the IPL. But he bowled just 30 deliveries in the entire edition before heading to England. After playing the two India A games, he played the previous two Tests before suffering an injury to his ligament on Sunday that is set to cut short his tour.
The left-arm pacer was in contention to get a look-in towards the business end of the series, but a cut on his bowling hand during a net session has ruled him out at least for the fourth Test. The selectors have sent Anshul Kamboj, who impressed during the A series before the Test tour, as a cover and he is now in the mix as well.
After an impressive show at Edgbaston, the Bengal seamer was seen struggling at Lord's. It is understood that Akash is grappling with a groin niggle which makes him an unlikely starter in Manchester. With uncertainty around Bumrah for the fifth Test, India are keeping their fingers crossed on Akash's quick recovery. If not, they may have to send an SOS to selectors again.
Since he came back into the fold after the horrific accident, the team management and selectors have kept an eye on his workload. The priority has been to make him play Tests and heading to Old Trafford, it would be interesting to see if Pant starts as a wicketkeeper or as a specialist batsman. He suffered a hand injury, which made Dhruv Jurel keep wickets in the third Test. While scans have showed no major worries, it remains a concern for India.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Jasprit Bumrah makes animated gestures in tense chat with Gambhir, Morkel after other bowlers 'leak runs' in 4th Test
Rishabh Pant's gritty half-century on Day 2 had given India a sense of control in the Manchester Test, but by Tea on the same day, the narrative had turned. England's aggressive opening stand had already dented India's momentum, and with the hosts just over 100 behind and only two wickets down, pressure is mounting, especially on India's pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah. Jasprit Bumrah talks to Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel(X) A telling visual emerged from before the start of the play on Day 3 that captured the attention during the first session. Bumrah was seen engaging in an intense chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel. Bumrah, animated and expressive, appeared to be leading the discussion, gesturing repeatedly that suggested a strategic rethink was underway. The cameras captured Bumrah gesturing animatedly, appearing to express frustration after India's struggle with the ball the previous evening. England were scoring freely, and Bumrah, India's best and most reliable bowler, seemed to be carrying the burden alone. The visuals quickly became the centre of conversation in the commentary box, with Ravi Shastri providing pointed insight. 'It (the situation) puts pressure on him. He was the one in control, but when others leak at the other end... at almost 6 runs per over, it takes a toll, even if you're the best bowler in the world,' Shastri said on-air, reacting to the footage after being told Bumrah appeared to be leading the conversation. A poor bowling outing For a bowler who has time and again delivered in the toughest conditions, the pressure of operating without adequate support was beginning to show. On Day 2, England's openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had plundered runs with ease, putting on 166 in just 34.4 overs. Bumrah bowled with discipline but failed to find breakthroughs, while the rest of India's attack struggled to maintain control or pose consistent threats. This was also a critical test for Shubman Gill's captaincy. On Day 2, Gill faced criticism for his field placements and bowling changes, especially from voices like Ricky Ponting and Nasser Hussain. Now, on Day 3, even his senior-most bowler was visibly animated, a sign of growing urgency within the camp.


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Why Is The World's Best Bowler Jasprit Bumrah Getting 'Cooked' On The Internet?
Jasprit Bumrah was criticised over 'poor tactics' and staying wicketless during England's first (ongoing) innings against India in Manchester Test on Friday. Jasprit Bumrah, hands down the best in the business, is having a dull outing in the fourth Test against England at the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium in Manchester. At the time of writing this article, England have piled up 332 runs for the loss of only two wickets. That's a deficit of 26 runs. India posted 358 in their first innings after Shubman Gill lost the toss and was asked to bat first. India's bowlers have so far scalped the wickets of English openers. The first to depart was Zack Crawley, who made a 113-ball 84. Crawley was undone by Ravindra Jadeja. Ben Duckett was the next to go, who made a swift 100-ball 94. Newcomer Anshul Kamboj sent Duckett back to the pavillion. The England scorecard read 197/2 inside 39 overs. Bumrah's Viral Stats During the third day of the fourth Test, Bumrah's average in the series against top-order batters versus the tailenders was presented by the broadcasters of the match. Jasprit BumrahTailender Bully? — Yash Jain (@yashjain4163) July 25, 2025 The criticism against the premier pacer was expressed in tandem on the social media platform 'X'. 'You will hardly see anyone criticising #Bumrah openly for not bowling well. I understand he is a legend, but we need to call out that he was not able to utilise the conditions," a viewer on X opined. 'He's not fit physically—bowling within himself. Our bowlers are not fit enough to last a three-test series; a five-test series is a significant challenge," a second added. Bumrah, currently No. 1 on the ICC's Men's Test Bowling Rankings, has left fans disappointed, to put it subtly. 'Bumrah is a great Indian bowler no doubt. He is the best at present current no 1. However, his impact on the game is going down every test. He can't escape behind 2nd string attack accompanying him again and again." Not Just Online Critics Punter, aka Ricky Ponting, tore into India's bowling attack and asserted that Bumrah hadn't executed well thus far. 'I think even watching now, Bumrah, I think, is bowling from the wrong end. All the wickets, most of the wickets, have fallen from the Statham end. And he's done most of his work bowling from the Anderson end. So they've been, they were off execution wise. And I think tactically have been off a little bit as well," Ponting said on Sky Sports. 'They got scored off on both sides of the wicket, didn't they? You know, we broadly talked then about how they bowled to (Ollie) Pope. I think they were tactically off as well. I don't think Kamboj should have taken the new ball. Yeah, I didn't like that from the start. And he was, I mean, and Duckett's five of his first six boundaries were behind square leg side. So they got it tactically wrong there," Ponting said. 'Have Faith" That Bumrah is best in the world is no accident. A section on social media backed the pacer and hoped that he'd return to his beast mode. Why was the entire burden on Bumrah alone? What were other bowlers doing? Wondered many. 'They are doing negative pr against jaspreet bumrah but still bumrah will prove them why he is our greatest bowler, (sic)" a user on X hoped. You have to accept without Bumrah this Indian bowling is nothing, just one bad day of Bumrah & whole bowling got exposed.💔Agree ? — Jason (@mahixcavi7) July 25, 2025 You can catch the live updates here. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
RCB pacer Yash Dayal accused of raping minor; FIR registered in Jaipur
JAIPUR: IPL side Royal Challengers Bengaluru's under-fire pacer Yash Dayal has been accused of raping a minor in an FIR registered against him by Jaipur Police. The 27-year-old cricketer from Uttar Pradesh is already facing charges of sexual exploitation from a woman in Ghaziabad who has alleged that Dayal abused her after promising to marry her during a five-year relationship. SHO of Jaipur's Sanganer Sadar police station Anil Jaiman said that the latest FIR was registered on Wednesday. "FIR was registered against Yash Dayal for rape under relevant sections of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) act and the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita)," he said here on Friday. According to Jaiman, the victim has alleged that the player raped her first in 2023 when she was 17 and a similar assault took place in April this year at a hotel in Sitapura area. "She alleged that the cricketer had promised help and support in her career. He contacted her in April this year when he was in Jaipur for IPL and called her to the hotel where he allegedly raped her again," the SHO said, adding that the matter was under investigation. Dayal, a medium pacer, is a reasonably well-known bowler in the Indian domestic circuit. He made his debut for Uttar Pradesh in 2018 and has since played 27 first-class games, claiming 84 wickets. He has appeared in 71 T20 matches that have yielded 66 scalps. Dayal started his IPL career with the Gujarat Titans in 2022 before moving to RCB, which bought him for Rs five crore in the 2024 players' auction. He was retained by the Bengaluru team for this year's season too and was a key member of the trophy-winning outfit under Rajat Patidar.