The injury-plagued Indian team suffered another blow on Tuesday as pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the fourth Test against Australia due to an abdominal strain. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has already been ruled out of the fourth and final Test against Australia which begins Friday at The Gabba in Brisbane.
If that wasn't enough, Mayank Agarwal -- tipped to be Hanuma Vihari's replacement in the playing XI in Brisbane -- has sustained a knock on the hands and it could be a hairline fracture. To make matters worse, Ravichandran Ashwin's back spasms have aggravated after battling for three hours on the final day, leaving little options for India on the bench.
Bumrah, key to India's attack, sustained the strain during the drawn third Test in Sydney. It has been learnt that Bumrah's scan reports showed a strain and the Indian team management does not want him to aggravate the injury, keeping in mind the upcoming four-Test series against England. "Jasprit Bumrah suffered an abdominal strain while fielding in Sydney. He is going to sit out of the Brisbane Test but is expected to be available against England," a BCCI source told PTI.
While the Indian team management is heaving a sigh of relief that Bumrah hasn't sustained a tear but wants to be on the side of caution as playing in Brisbane and breaking down in the middle of the Test match could have an even more adverse effect on the team.
"If we take the risk of him playing at 50 per cent, what if the injury aggravates and he breaks down in the middle of the match and then ruled out for better part of England series? England is the last series which will decide the qualification for World Test Championship final and we are in contention and would require a fit Bumrah," the senior BCCI source added.
It is now expected that two-Test old Mohammed Siraj will be leading the Indian attack and will be joined by Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan in the Brisbane Test, starting January 15. Unless, Bumrah is fielded at 30% fitness, risking the entire England series, T Natarajan will make his debut.
Jadeja on Tuesday informed that he has undergone surgery after suffering a blow on his thumb during the third Test against Australia played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
"Jadeja suffered a blow to his left thumb while batting on Day 3 of the third Border-Gavaskar Test that concluded on Monday (in Sydney). He later went for scans and the results have shown that he has dislocated his thumb," said a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday evening.
"Jadeja will not be available for the fourth and final Test against Australia to be held in Brisbane from January 15-19 at the Gabba," it added.
Meanwhile, Jadeja tweeted, ”Out of action for a while, surgery completed. But will soon return with a bang.”
Out of action for a https://t.co/ouz0ilet9j completed. But will soon return with a bang! pic.twitter.com/Uh3zQk7Srn
— Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) January 12, 2021
The 32-year-old had scalped four wickets in Australia's first innings and scored 28 not out in Sydney. He did not bowl in the second innings and was not required to bat a second time around as the third Test ended in a draw.
"The all-rounder will now consult a hand specialist in Sydney before he returns to India. He will then head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further management of his injury," said the BCCI.
The problem with the Indian team is after injured KL Rahul's departure and Hanuma Vihari's grade 2 tear, there are no back-up middle-order batsman left in the reserves.
The only two available batsmen are two out of form openers in Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal.
It remains to be seen if India, knowing their depleted strength and long tail, decide to take the conservative route of playing four bowlers and six batsmen with Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper.
If Agarwal's scans reveal that it's a bruise and not a fracture, then it could well be Prithvi Shaw batting at number three followed by Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajhinkya Rahane and Agarwal himself at number six.