Bearing in mind all the heavy lifting he did in the first three Tests, and will continue to do in the forthcoming fixtures, India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, and released from the squad. Consequently, seamer Mukesh Kumar has been brought back into the updated squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), late on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. (More Cricket News)
"Jasprit Bumrah has been released from the squad for the 4th Test against England in Ranchi. The decision was taken keeping in mind the duration of the series and amount of cricket he has played in recent times," the BCCI statement reads.
Bumrah has bowled 80.5 overs in the first three Tests and been the go-to bowler for captain Rohit Sharma to break big partnerships. In addition to the fifth Test in March, the 30-year-old is expected to play a key role in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, coming up in June, not to mention the Indian Premier League action before that.
Meanwhile, middle-order batter KL Rahul continues to be out of action, as he has been ruled out of the fourth Test. His participation in the final Test in Dharamsala is subject to fitness, the BCCI release stated.
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Rahul was the highest overall scorer in the first Test that India lost in Hyderabad, but he has been sidelined with injuries since. The stylish right-hander missed the second Test with a quadriceps injury, and was included in the squad for the third Test subject to fitness, but eventually ruled out with a sore knee.
India’s updated squad for the 4th Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
