Edgbaston Test, India's playing XI puzzle: Bumrah's uncertainty, Kuldeep-Washington face-off, NKR poised for comeback

Time of India

2 days ago

Jasprit Bumrah (Photo by)
TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham:
Two closed-door practice sessions meant there was no opportunity to see how the Indian cricket team worked on their fielding, specifically after the Leeds Test, where there were far too many drops that cost Shubman Gill and Co.
dearly.
With the gates opening on Monday and India resuming business after a rest day, all eyes were on what fielding coach T Dilip did with the unit. The usual ground fielding started the session, but it was the catching drill, and the unique start to it, that caught everyone's attention.
Dilip placed a black cloth on a makeshift stand and fired catches from the little opening underneath it to test the fielders' reflexes.
The slip-catching was next, and there was a tweak in the slip cordon, which also dropped major hints, later confirmed by assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, about the playing XI.
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Karun Nair at first slip, KL Rahul at second slip, and Shubman Gill at third slip were the usual suspects, and there was a swap of sorts as Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy featured in the fourth slip and gully positions, while Yashasvi Jaiswal was asked to do drills for the short-leg and silly point positions.
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Two things were clear with this arrangement: Nitish Kumar Reddy is in the playing XI mix, and extra attention on close-in catching means the spin department is set to be beefed up for the Edgbaston Test starting Wednesday. It has been very hot and dry for the last few days, and ten Doeschate confirmed at the presser that the wicket, which has some grass right now to hold the surface together, is very dry underneath. The Indian camp confirmed playing two spinners on this surface but didn't reveal which two out of
Ravindra Jadeja
,
Washington Sundar
, and
Kuldeep Yadav
will feature in the playing XI.
"There is a very strong chance of playing two spinners. It's just which two we play. And that goes back to the previous question about juggling the batting depth. All three spinners are bowling very nicely. Washi (Sundar) is batting very nicely. So it's just which combination we go with. All-rounder spinner or the out-and-out spinner. Then obviously you have to play the bowling all-rounder again. So there are so many different variables.
The wicket's got 11 mls (grass) on at the moment.
Poll
Should Jasprit Bumrah be rested for the Edgbaston Test?
Yes, to manage workload
No, he should play
"11 or 12, I can't remember which of the two. But it's quite grassy and patchy. It's quite dry underneath. But there's also rain forecast for Wednesday. So again, trying to weigh up the two options of how we want to go attacking-wise. But I'm pretty sure two spinners will play," says ten Doeschate.
The suspense around Jasprit Bumrah continues, and while he is "ready to play," the management will take the call at the very last moment.
There is a possibility of him sitting out this fixture to manage his workload for the remainder of the series, and the remaining pieces of the playing XI puzzle will only fall in place when the think tank gets absolute clarity on Bumrah and then decides on the balancing act between 20 wickets and batting depth.
If Bumrah doesn't play, the primary focus has to be putting a bowling attack in place which can pick 20 wickets for you.
Both head coach Gambhir and captain Gill have emphasised that, and now is the time to walk the talk. There are options in Nitish and Sundar to beef up your batting, but if Bumrah doesn't play, India must find a way for Kuldeep Yadav in the starting XI.
Edgbaston Preview | Yashasvi Jaiswal faces the brunt, exits slip cordon
If not in dry and hot Birmingham, then when? Leeds was definitely a missed opportunity because there was a lot of rough to be exploited, and Kuldeep is one bowler who can be the X-factor in Bumrah's absence.
It may come at the cost of runs, as Reddy or Sundar can contribute with the bat, but if the emphasis is on picking wickets, which India struggled to do on Day 5 in Leeds, then Kuldeep becomes a no-brainer.
The fine balancing act needs to be played with perfection, as India have often looked the all-rounder's way in the past, and the trend could force them to look at Reddy or Sundar again. It gives them the depth which they have often desired but puts a lot of pressure on the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep—likely to be the three quicks if Bumrah doesn't play—to do the job.
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Sundar, if preferred over Kuldeep, can give you control and even run through oppositions if the wicket offers purchase, but what if it doesn't? What if it continues to be true and flat? That is where India will miss Kuldeep, like they did in Leeds.
And it's for situations like those that India need to start taking the bold call of playing the wrist spinner. Because if not now, then when?
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