Bumrah not ruled out of fifth test, says India captain Gill
Bumrah, who is the joint-leading wicket taker in the series with 14, was expected to miss the decisive clash as India's medical staff want to manage his workload.
But Gill said any decision would be left late.
"We will take a decision (on Bumrah) tomorrow; the wicket looks very green. So we will see how it turns out," Gill told a press conference at the Oval on Wednesday.
Bumrah was scheduled to play only three of the five tests and has already featured in the opener at Headingley and the back-to-back tests at Lord's and Old Trafford.
India need to win the final test to level the series 2-2.
"2-2 will be very significant for this team," Gill said. "Every match we have played, it was difficult to decide the winner after the first four days."
Should Bumrah miss out, India would likely select Akash Deep or even hand a debut to Arshdeep Singh.
"He has been asked to get ready but we will take a call on the playing eleven after looking at the pitch by this evening," Gill said. "England haven't gone with a frontline spinner.
"We have Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who have done such a good job with the ball and the bat. On that front, it's a no-brainer for us."
India are without wicket keeper Rishabh Pant, ruled out by a foot injury in the fourth test which ended in a draw on Sunday. Dhruv Jurel is set to stand in.
The build-up to the series finale has been overshadowed by a spat on Tuesday between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and the ground staff at the Oval after Gambhir tried to take a close look at the square.
Gill said the incident was "absolutely unnecessary".
"It's not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket, we have been there for almost two months," he said.
"A coach has every right to be able to go close quarters and have a look at the wicket and I didn't think there was anything wrong with that. I actually don't know why the curator would not allow us to go have a look at the wicket.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
India remove Duckett and Pope to stay on top
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Cricket - International Test Match Series - Fifth Test - England v India - Kia Oval, London, Britain - August 3, 2025 England's Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett bump fists before batting at the start play on day 4 Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs LONDON - India dismissed Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to take charge of the final test as England moved unconvincingly on to 164-3 at lunch on the fourth day at The Oval on Sunday. The touring side are a healthy 209 runs ahead with five sessions remaining and need seven more wickets for a victory that would level a gripping series at 2-2. It could have been even better for India, however, because Harry Brook survived a huge scare when he was caught in the deep by Mohammed Siraj, who then stepped on the boundary cushion and watched on in horror as the umpire signalled a six. Brook was 38 not out at the interval with Joe Root on 23, and England still have hope of completing by far the highest successful run chase in a test match on this ground. Resuming on 50-1 on an overcast morning, Duckett posted another half century in a prolific series for him but, on 54, he fell in Prasidh Krishna's first over, the left-hander edging an outswinger to slip where KL Rahul held a sharp catch. India bowled with great discipline and fielded excellently to restrict the flow of runs, the bowlers regularly beating the outside edge of the bat with the ball jagging around. Captain Pope struck Krishna for three fours in one over to move on to 27, but he was undone by another fine delivery from Siraj that trapped him lbw to leave England wobbling on 106-3. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore LTA, Singapore bus operators reviewing Malaysia's request to start services from JB at 4am World Trump is winning his trade war, but Americans will pay the price Singapore President Tharman meets migrant workers who saved driver of car that fell into sinkhole Singapore Singapore must stay socially progressive while conserving its cultures: Tharman Singapore Despite bag checks and warnings, young partygoers continue to vape in clubs in Singapore Opinion The charm – and drawbacks – of living in a time warp in Singapore Singapore Now flying solo, Acres CEO Kalaivanan Balakrishnan presses ahead with wildlife rescue efforts Life KPop Demon Hunters to get sequels, expanded universe to include musical, live-action remake Brook drove Akash Deep over extra cover for six before, on 19, he pulled Krishna high to long leg and had his moment of fortune thanks to Siraj's error. REUTERS
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
India remove Duckett and Pope to stay on top
LONDON :India dismissed Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to take charge of the final test as England moved unconvincingly on to 164-3 at lunch on the fourth day at The Oval on Sunday. The touring side are a healthy 209 runs ahead with five sessions remaining and need seven more wickets for a victory that would level a gripping series at 2-2. It could have been even better for India, however, because Harry Brook survived a huge scare when he was caught in the deep by Mohammed Siraj, who then stepped on the boundary cushion and watched on in horror as the umpire signalled a six. Brook was 38 not out at the interval with Joe Root on 23, and England still have hope of completing by far the highest successful run chase in a test match on this ground. Resuming on 50-1 on an overcast morning, Duckett posted another half century in a prolific series for him but, on 54, he fell in Prasidh Krishna's first over, the left-hander edging an outswinger to slip where KL Rahul held a sharp catch. India bowled with great discipline and fielded excellently to restrict the flow of runs, the bowlers regularly beating the outside edge of the bat with the ball jagging around. Captain Pope struck Krishna for three fours in one over to move on to 27, but he was undone by another fine delivery from Siraj that trapped him lbw to leave England wobbling on 106-3. Brook drove Akash Deep over extra cover for six before, on 19, he pulled Krishna high to long leg and had his moment of fortune thanks to Siraj's error.
CNA
10 hours ago
- CNA
All Blacks scrumhalf Roigard out of Argentina tests due to stress fracture
All Blacks scrumhalf Cam Roigard will miss their opening Rugby Championship tests against Argentina this month after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot, New Zealand Rugby said on Sunday. The 24-year-old reported pain following their 3-0 series win over France last month, with scans confirming the fracture. Roigard started the first two tests against the French. "He will not travel to Argentina and his likely return to play will be assessed in two weeks," NZR said in a statement, adding that their Rugby Championship squad would be announced on Monday. The All Blacks play Argentina in Cordoba on August 16 with the second test in Buenos Aires a week later.
