India will also be without fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the third and final Test match against New Zealand, starting Friday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He is reportedly rested after a poor series so far. India lost the opening game in Bengaluru and then lost the second Test in Pune, the team’s first series loss at home in 12 years.
His rest has been planned with the coming Border-Gavaskar Test series that will be underway on November 22 in Perth in mind. The team management is trying to ensure that he fully recovers ahead of the tour, starting on November 10, for which he has rested since the Bangladesh Test series last month. While Bumrah attended India’s first full training session in Mumbai on Wednesday since the defeat in Pune, he left later that evening to head home to Ahmedabad.
It would appear the decision to rest Bumrah has evolved from earlier plans. The head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and captain Rohit Sharma initially planned to have him sit out the second Test. But just out of the blue, the defeat in Bengaluru led to unexpected changes.
A source close to the team confirmed: “He won’t be playing the Mumbai Test and has flown back home. The Indian team management wanted him to rest and recover his body. He will join the squad when they travel to Australia.”
At a press conference before the match, Gambhir was pointedly asked about Bumrah’s light training session on Wednesday – he didn’t bowl in the nets either – if this was any indication that he was being deliberately rested for the third Test, the head coach refused to comment.
“I think he’s just done his preparations. Knowing the weather in Mumbai, he needs to save his energy. He’s prepared well, and he’s fine. That’s why he’s a senior player; he knows how much he needs to prepare for the Test match.
