India have not ruled out Bumrah for the final test, coach says
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - International Test Match Series - Fourth Test - England v India - Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, Britain - July 26, 2025 India's Jasprit Bumrah looks on Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes/File Photo
MANCHESTER, England - India head coach Gautam Gambhir said they had not ruled out playing pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the final test against England at the Oval this week as they look to avoid a series defeat.
Bumrah has already played three tests in the series, the maximum workload team management had targeted for the bowler after he spent three months on the sidelines with a back injury before returning to action in April.
India snatched an unlikely draw in the fourth test at Old Trafford on Sunday but trail the hosts 2-1 in the five-match series.
"We haven't had any conversation around the combination for the last test," Gambhir said.
"No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try and do the job for the country."
India captain Shubman Gill suggested it might be left up to Bumrah to make the call.
"If he feels like he's fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us," Gill told the BBC.
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India went into the fourth test with a depleted bowling attack having rested the injured pace duo of Akash Deep (groin) and Arshdeep Singh (hand).
Bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy had already returned home after a knee injury cut short his tour.
Anshul Kamboj made his test debut in Manchester but Gambhir said they would have a full set of fit bowlers at their disposal for the test at the Oval, which begins on Thursday.
"All the fast bowlers are fit," Gambhir said. "There are no injury concerns."
However, India will be without stumper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has been ruled out of the series finale after fracturing his foot while batting in India's first innings in Manchester. REUTERS
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The trains servicing the route can reach 350kmh, though their speed varies along the journey – with the passengers hearing only a whisper-soft hum. JAKARTA – Hardly making any noise, the bullet train hurls past West Java's rice fields as it races from the nation's capital towards Bandung, Indonesia's third-largest city. This is Whoosh, the country's – and South-east Asia's – first high-speed rail service, with the trains able to cover the 142km separating the two cities in just 45 minutes. The trains servicing the route can reach 350kmh, though their speed varies along the journey – with the passengers hearing only a whisper-soft hum. Twelve trainsets, including one for inspection, operate on the line. All were designed and built in China but customised for Indonesia's tropical climate and seismic risks. Whoosh has largely lived up to its name since it was launched in October 2023. 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Commuters taking a 20-min feeder train to the Bandung city centre after their Jakarta-Bandung journey on Whoosh train on July 30. ST PHOTO: ARLINA ARSHAD In 2024, PSBI posted losses of 4.19 trillion rupiah (S$330 million), according to KAI's financial report. KAI, as PSBI's majority shareholder, accounted for 2.23 trillion rupiah of that amount. The Chinese side has not released its figures, though analysts believe their books are similarly in the red. Whoosh is bleeding money due to a combination of massive construction debt, low passenger numbers and high operating costs. Its remote station locations and weak feeder links have also made it less attractive to daily commuters. Indonesia's newly established sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, has stepped in to help address the mounting debt. 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Not cheap, not seamless Whoosh fares range from 200,000 to 600,000 rupiah (S$16 to S$47) depending on class and time – a stretch for daily commuters, students and lower-income workers. While the onboard experience is polished, first- and last-mile connectivity remain a work in progress. From Padalarang station, the third of four stations, passengers bound for Bandung's city centre have to transfer to a slower feeder train that takes another 20 minutes. Others scramble for directions or try to book a taxi or Grab ride. The seamlessness ends there. While Jakarta's Halim station offers food outlets from Starbucks and Texas Chicken to Subway, the selection at Padalarang can be counted on one hand. While the onboard experience is polished, first- and last-mile connectivity remain a work in progress. ST PHOTO: ARLINA ARSHAD Dr Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, a researcher at the Centre of Economic and Law Studies, said weak feeder links and high fares limit Whoosh's appeal. 'High fares after the promotional period and weak feeder transport links, especially at Karawang and Padalarang stations, make it less attractive for daily commuters,' he told ST. Still, he believed Danantara's restructuring could ease pressure on KAI and its partners 'if implemented effectively', with sustainable strategies such as boosting ridership, improving feeder links, and diversifying revenue through advertising, retail leases and park-and-ride facilities. Eyeing future Surabaya extension Despite the deep losses, the government has pressed on with plans to extend Whoosh to Surabaya in East Java. On July 1, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono called the Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed rail 'a game changer' and one of President Prabowo Subianto's key priorities. 'If the Jakarta-Surabaya HSR can be realised... it will not only improve intra-regional connectivity, but also boost the local economy,' he was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post. The Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed rail extension has been included in Indonesia's National Railway Master Plan, but progress has stalled due to incomplete regulations, and chiefly the absence of a supporting presidential regulation. Once the regulation is issued, joint feasibility studies with China are expected to begin. A pre-feasibility study is currently being prepared, exploring three possible routes: southern, central and northern Java. The government aims to cut travel time from Jakarta to Surabaya from 10 hours to just 3½ hours, with fares expected to be more affordable than for the existing Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line. Mr Pardede acknowledged that the route would connect Indonesia's two largest cities and could see stronger demand. But he cautioned: 'The extension of the line to Surabaya must certainly begin with a detailed feasibility study that comprehensively considers costs and benefits.' And he added: 'The government should not use the state budget to build this high-speed rail so as not to increase the fiscal burden.' Dr Zulfikar also warned that expanding the line could bring further costs, rising debt, and underutilised infrastructure. Mr Darmaningtyas was more blunt. 'The extension will be a burden on the state for life,' he said. 'Please do not go ahead with the plan. If the government does not want to be burdened forever, it must cancel the expansion.' Political legacy Mr Darmaningtyas said the high-speed rail was more of a political trophy than a transport necessity. He noted that regular trains between Jakarta and Surabaya were rarely full outside weekends and holidays. 'So, who would take the high-speed train?' he said. He added that existing toll roads and train lines connecting Bandung to Surabaya already met travel needs, questioning the urgency of a new link. Mr Darmaningtyas also flagged conflicting policies. 'The government built two new toll roads between Jakarta and Bandung even as it promoted rail travel. That just encourages people to drive instead,' he said. To him, Whoosh was less about serving commuters and more about cementing a political legacy for Indonesia's leaders. 'They just want to prove something. They never think about sustainability,' he said. 'When Jokowi was president, what mattered was that he built a high-speed train. Whether it burdens the country or not is someone else's problem – the next president's problem.' Bandung-based make-up artist Lenny, 43, said that while she loved her fast rides, the project felt half-finished. 'Transport is costly, I get that. But if stations were in the Jakarta and Bandung city centres, more people would use the train,' she said. 'As usual, we aim for the stars, but get lost in the sky. Strong ambition, poor execution.'
