Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes India would face a tricky selection if they manage a draw against England at Old Trafford. At lunch on the final day, India were 223-4, trailing by 88 runs.
As per the reports, Rishabh Pant might not bat and thus India has five more wickets in hand. Meanwhile, Hussain noted that India lost the opening and third Test at Leeds, and Lord’s respectively despite the presence of Jasprit Bumrah.
However, Hussain highlighted that Bumrah’s performance is not the solitary reason for India’s losses. In fact, Bumrah picked 12 wickets in two Test matches he played in the series at an impressive average of 21 before the fourth Test.
“India will have a tricky decision to make if they continue to dig in on the final day at Old Trafford and come away with a creditable draw,” Hussain wrote in his column for The Daily Mail. “Because although they keep saying that Jasprit Bumrah will play only three Tests in this five-match series – and this, don’t forget, is his third – the series could still be alive when the teams arrive at The Oval next week,” he added.
“I know people are saying that India have lost the two games Bumrah has played in and won the one he missed, with Siraj and Akash Deep bowling India to victory in the second Test at Edgbaston. But there are a lot of things that go into losing a game of cricket, and I don’t think you can honestly say Bumrah’s bowling was one of the causes of the tourists’ defeats at Headingley and Lord’s,” he said, rejecting the idea.
Hussain feels India would give rest to Bumrah and Siraj if they lose at Old Trafford but they might think twice before resting the former if they could manage a draw on Sunday.
“Clearly, if India lose and go 3–1 down, they can give Bumrah and probably Mohammed Siraj, who has played all four games so far, a rest for the final game. But if they escape Manchester only 2–1 down, are they really going to leave out their greatest match-winner with the ball?” Hussain added.
Bumrah returned with figures of 2-112 in the first innings of the fourth Test, marking the first time that the fast bowler conceded 100 or more runs in a Test inning.
