‘Best Bowling Wicket’ Saved for Jasprit Bumrah-less India
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate made a witty remark after England left the greenest pitch for the final Test when Jasprit Bumrah was rested.
India men’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate took a cheeky jab at England for preparing the most bowler-friendly pitch of the series only after India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah had completed his three-match quota. He hinted that the hosts might have perfectly timed their tactics by setting up the greenest track for the fifth and final Test in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, knowing Bumrah wouldn’t play.
Bumrah had confirmed ahead of the series that he would only feature in three of the five Tests. He played in the first, third, and fourth matches, and was rested in the second game, which remains India’s only win of the series.
Ten Doeschate reflected on India’s selection dilemma, describing it as a difficult puzzle where the team had to balance Bumrah’s match-winning ability with the risk of aggravating a long-term injury, like the one he sustained after the Australia tour.
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“Every time I’ve answered this question I’ve spoken about like putting the pieces of the puzzles together and guys were baffled when we didn’t play him in the third Test, and our thinking yeah was that the Oval, yes it’s got bounce but it’s normally a fairly good wicket for batting on, and we thought we’d roll the dice and if we’d won the toss we would have bowled,” Ten Doeschate said in the press conference after Day 1 at The Oval.
“In hindsight you would have loved to have him here, but you would also have said if we come here 3-1 down that we didn’t use him there, so it’s trying to not guess but trying to look into the future and then see how we can manage him, and maybe England have got it spot on leaving the best bowling wicket for the last Test after he’s played three,” he added.
India, asked to bat on a green pitch, ended Day 1 at 204/6. England too are missing key pacers, with Ben Stokes sidelined due to injury and Jofra Archer rested for similar workload management reasons. Chris Woakes also suffered a shoulder injury during the day’s play, adding to England’s bowling concerns.
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Last Updated on August 1, 2025
