Former England spinner feels Bumrah "has to play" in Manchester; Expresses surprise at Arshdeep's omission

New Delhi [India], July 18 (ANI): Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes the world's best Jasprit Bumrah "has to play" the next Test against his former side in Manchester, considering it is a "must-win" contest for India. Panesar also expressed his surprise about uncapped Arshdeep Singh's absence in the ongoing tour and feels his inclusion can offer India better attacking resources.
During the announcement of India's squad for the Test tour of England, chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Bumrah was advised not to contest consecutive Tests as part of his workload management. The precaution around Bumrah's usage stems from a stress reaction in his back during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January.
Bumrah featured in the first and the third Tests, enchanted the spectators with his threatening spells, but India lost both fixtures. With two Tests left, India trailing in the five-match series by 1-2 and Bumrah available for one of those, Panesar feels India needs to go all out in Manchester next week.
"Jasprit Bumrah should play the next match. It is a must-win match for India. They need to play their best attack. Bumrah has to play the next Test. It is the pitch with the most pace and bounce in the country, so he has to play," Panesar told ANI.
In the series opener at Headingley, Bumrah served as the driving force in India's seemingly toothless attack, with sizzling figures of 5/83 in the first innings. During India's 371-run defence, Bumrah lost his magic and went wicketless as the visitors surrendered a five-wicket defeat.
In the third Test at Lord's, the 31-year-old rattled England's batting unit and blazed his way to a record-shattering five-wicket haul. In the second turn, he scythed two scalps and finished with match figures of 7/112 as India endured a 22-run heartbreak.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate dropped a hint about Bumrah's involvement in Manchester after the training session on Thursday and said, "No, we'll make that call (on Bumrah) in Manchester still. We know we have got him for one of the last two Tests. It's pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him."
"But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with The Oval. And looking at the last two games holistically as part of the series," he added.
Panesar addressed the lack of Arshdeep's involvement in the first three Tests. The uncapped star was backed by many to earn a place in the final XI; however, he is yet to claim his maiden cap despite his experience in the County Championship. The 43-year-old didn't shy away from hiding his surprise and backed his inclusion in Manchester.
"Arshdeep Singh needs to play. I am surprised that he didn't play the first Test match. He can bowl good angles, and a left-arm seam is going to be a really good option. He should be very good on these English conditions," he added.
As of now, it is uncertain whether Arshdeep would be fit to play in Manchester or not. During India's training session he sustained an injury on his hand. Doeschate provided an update and said, "He took a ball, while he was bowling there, the side of the ball; he tried to stop the ball. It's just a cut, so we have to see how bad the cut is. Obviously, the medical team is taking him to see a doctor, and if he needs stitches, that is going to be important to our planning for the next few days."
India's squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. (ANI)