It is understood that Bumrah does not have any injury and it is not yet known if the team management wanted to rest him or if Bumrah himself wanted to rest.
“I think he [Bumrah] “He has just finished his preparations,” Gambhir said Thursday. “I think we know what the weather is like in Mumbai, so obviously he needs to conserve his energy as well. So he’s already bowled, he’s very well prepared and he’s fine. That’s why he’s a senior player, he knows how much he needs to prepare for the Test Match”.
“In the two Test matches he has bowled [against New Zealand] around 20-25 overs. So he hasn’t played much,” Nayar said Wednesday. “Yes, there will always be a reflection process on his workload. We also played two games where we haven’t had cricket in five days, that’s more like three, three and a half. Then you have enough rest. But Booms is very important to us and his workload will always be on our minds.”
The fast bowlers are unlikely to get much help from the Mumbai pitch that has been prepared. The red ground should ensure there is good bounce and the morning humidity combined with the new ball might give them a small window to do a bit of damage, but it is largely the spinners that both teams will turn to. India have already gone down 2-0, their first home series defeat in 12 years, making the Test something of a stalemate, although there are WTC points up for grabs. India are at the top of the WTC table and fighting for a place in the final at Lord’s in June 2025.
