India registered a deserving 106-run win in the second Test match against England on Monday to level the five-match series to 1-1. The star pacer Jasprit Bumrah produced one of the best spells of his career to destroy bazball cricket in Visakhapatnam and claimed the Player of the Match award.
The 30-year-old pacer took nine wickets across two innings to produce his best figures in Tests at home. However, the national team selectors are reportedly considering resting Bumrah for the third match in Rajkot starting on February 15.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, after the discussion with the team management, the selectors are looking to rest Bumrah for the Rajkot Test. The management is expecting Bumrah to be fresh for the last two Test matches which will decide the winner of the series.
The 30-year-old pacer is leading the bowling chart in this series with 15 wickets, six more than second-highest Ravichandran Ashwin for the hosts. Mohamed Siraj failed to claim any wicket in the Hyderabad Test and was restricted to only 11 overs across two innings.
Mukesh Kumar replaced Siraj in the Vizag Test and took only one wicket from his 12 overs in two innings. Siraj is expected to return and partner Mukesh in the Rajkot Test.
The Cricbuzz report also adds that the spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is unlikely to recover from his hamstring injury and will miss the third match at his home ground. But the experienced batter KL Rahul is set to return to the team after missing the Vizag Test due to right quadriceps pain.
Meanwhile, the biggest question remains on Virat Kohli‘s availability for the remainder of the series. The star batter withdrew his name three days before the opening match due to personal reasons and there is no official word on his potential return for the third Test. After the Vizag Test win, the team head coach Rahul Dravid revealed that the management is going to contact Kohli to learn about his availability for the Rajkot match.