IND vs NZ: Jasprit Bumrah to be rested for third Test at Wankhede

Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to be rested for the third Test against New Zealand, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai. He featured in both Tests against Bangladesh and also in the first two games against New Zealand and for the same reason, the team management has decided to give him a break in order to manage his workload. The goal is to give him a break so that the pacer is completely fit for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, slated to begin on November 22.

According to reports, the team management preferred to give Bumrah a break during the second Test in Pune. However, with India losing the first Test by eight wickets in Bengaluru, the plans changed and he was named in the XI. In the game, the 30-year-old bowled only 14 overs without any success. Meanwhile, a member of the team management has confirmed the development, confirming Bumrah’s unavailability for the Mumbai Test.

“He won’t be playing the Mumbai Test and has flown back home. The Indian team management wanted him to take some rest so that he could recover his body. He will now join the Indian team when the team departs for Australia,” a source told Indian Express.

Notably, Bumrah was part of the squad that trained in Mumbai on Wednesday, October 30. However, he didn’t bowl in the nets and instead took part in drills and some physical activity. He later flew to Ahmedabad to be with his family on Diwali. 

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He’s a senior player, knows how much to prepare for Test match: Gambhir

Meanwhile, sharing an update on Bumrah’s preparations, India head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that the pacer doesn’t need enough time to get into the zone and that he was conserving energy by not bowling in the nets.

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“I think he’s (Bumrah) just done his preparations, I think we know how the weather is in Mumbai so obviously he needs to conserve his energy as well. So he’s done his bowling, he’s prepared really 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,” Gambhir said.