Bumrah, Siraj fit to bowl: Kotak

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak did not rule out Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in the series-deciding fifth Test against England, saying “he is fit as per his load.”

Injury-prone pace spearhead Bumrah was earmarked for three Tests on the tour as part of his workload management but with the series on the line, he could play a fourth one.

After a dramatic draw at Manchester, head coach Gautam Gambhir also did not rule out the possibility of Bumrah featuring in the crunch game. Kotak reiterated that on Tuesday.

“Bumrah is fit now according to his load. He bowled one inning in the last match. So obviously the head coach, our physio and captain will have a discussion and decide. There has been no discussion,” Kotak said.

At Old Trafford, Gambhir had also confirmed that all his pacers were fit, meaning that Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep have recovered from injuries.

Asked about the workload of Mohammed Siraj, who is the only Indian pacer to play all games, Kotak gave a detailed answer.

“So, I don’t know what you guys think about the actual workload. So, if I tell you quickly, before the Test series, if a bowler puts in a certain amount of overs per week, that if he’s preparing for T20 and putting in 20 overs, 25 overs, 6 overs every day, or putting in 6 overs for five days, that is good enough workload for T20,” he said.

“They have GPS. It shows the record of how many overs the bowler has put in throughout the week. And they’re in constant touch with the bowling coach. So, the build-up of the last 4-5 weeks, you need to determine if that there’s no spike in it.”

“So, what’s the spike? If a bowler is putting in 30 overs per week, and suddenly, in the first innings, he’s put in 35 overs, then that’s the spike in his load. So, the number of overs that Siraj is putting in every week, it’s not necessary that it’s due to practice. That load is due to the match as well. So, then, another thing depends on whether Siraj himself, or the physio, feel that he is tired. Then, they will think about the load. Otherwise, his bowling load is very high, is very good. So, there’s no chance of a spike in it,” added Kotak.

Broad, Hussain warn England against risking Archer at Oval

England will be putting fast bowler Jofra Archer at risk of a fresh injury if they select him for the fifth and final match against India at The Oval this week, according to former Test players Stuart Broad and Nasser Hussain. Archer is taking part in his first Test series in four years after overcoming elbow and back injuries. The 30-year-old sat out the first two matches before claiming five wickets in his return to the format at Lord’s and four in the drawn Manchester test.

While India could draw the series with a win in the final Test, Broad said that England should prioritise Archer’s long-term fitness. “We can’t not have Archer for four years, bring him back and then bowl him into the ground and not see him for another four years,” he said. “(Josh) Tongue started the series, and I know he mainly got lower-order players out, but you probably have a natural replacement for Archer.”

England have added fast bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton to their tiring pace battery. Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse have played all four Tests, while skipper Ben Stokes said he would “run through a brick wall” to try to be available for the final Test beginning on Thursday. Gus Atkinson and Tongue are likely to feature in the decisive final test, and England are Tikely to rest Archer with the Ashes series against Australia in four months’ time.

“Gus Atkinson coming back after a long time, and then Stokes with a niggle as three of your four seamers — but I would definitely play Atkinson on his home ground if fit,” former England captain Hussain said.