4th Test: Sans Bumrah, pacers’ experience to be 4 Tests; Aus’s 150

Brisbane, Jan 12 : If fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t play in the fourth and final Test starting here on Friday, India’s pace department could at best have a combined Test experience of four matches as compared to Australia’s 150. And, if spinners are included, Australia’s experience shoots up to 249 Tests against India’s 78, including that of off-spinner R Ashwin. In case he is not fit to take field, and Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav does, India’s combined bowling experience would be an abysmal 10.
Bumrah is doubtful after he suffered an abdominal tear during the third Test, which ended in Sydney on Monday, and although the Indian team management says the decision will be taken over the next couple of days on observing his progress, the brief three-day period between the third and the fourth matches could force the team to sit him out if he fails to recover.
In Bumrah’s absence, the Indian team could feature Mohammed Siraj, who has played just two Tests, Navdeep Saini, who has played one match, and Shardul Thakur, who has also played just one.
In case India include uncapped T Natarajan, instead of either Saini or Shardul, the experience will drop to just three Tests.
The Indian team already has a depleted look following injuries to Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, both of whom got injured after the first and the second Tests respectively.
Experienced pace bowler Ishant Sharma, who has toured Australia four times, didn’t make it to the team for the Australia tour as he was recuperating from an abdominal tear. Though now he is fit and playing for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, the Covid-19 restrictions prevented replacements to be sent to Australia.