India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak indicated that pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah could potentially play in the decisive fifth Test against England, stating that he is currently fit based on his workload assessment, despite initial plans to limit him to three Tests on the tour.The possibility of Bumrah’s participation gained traction after head coach Gautam Gambhir didn’t rule it out following the dramatic draw at Manchester.Kotak addressed Bumrah’s fitness status during a press conference two days before the match. “Bumrah is fit now according to his load. He has bowled one inning in the last match. So that obviously head coach, our physio and captain they will have a discussion and decide. There has been no discussion,” he said.Gambhir had also confirmed that all pacers, including Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep, have recovered from their injuries.
When questioned about Mohammed Siraj’s workload, who has played all games in the series, Kotak provided a detailed explanation about bowler workload management.“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,” Kotak explained.He elaborated on the monitoring system in place. “They have a 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.”
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Kotak further clarified the concept of workload spikes. “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.”He concluded by addressing Siraj’s specific situation. “That load is due to the match as well. So, then, another thing depends on whether Siraj himself, or the physios, or his body feels that, no, I’m 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.”