India's injury concerns deepen ahead of Manchester Test
India skipper Shubman Gill confirmed that a premium pacer will miss the the match due to injury.
On the eve of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, Indian skipper Shubman Gill confirmed that pacer Akash Deep has been ruled out of the match due to injury. This further compounds India's injury issues, as the pacer joins Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the injury list.
“It's never easy when there are a few injuries in the squad. Nitish Kumar Reddy is going to miss out on the series. Akash Deep is also unavailable for the next match, so is Arshdeep, but we have enough good players in the team to firstly, pick 20 wickets, that's been the most challenging part of the series.
It is not ideal to have different bowlers, but I was prepared,” Gill told reporters on the eve of the Manchester Test.
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Earlier this week, the Indian team added uncapped fast bowler Anshul Kamboj to the squad as an injury replacement for Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the series with a knee injury.
Gill had positive words for the newcomer.
"We have seen him (Anshul) enough. The kind of skillset he brings to the table is exactly what we want. We believe he can win us the match.
"Even in the second Test match, lots of people had questions as to why Akash Deep was brought in. But it is mainly the belief we have in our squad, that any player is able to and can win matches for us."
Gill further added that the third pacer's spot will essentially be a toss up between Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna, who featured in the first two games of the series.
It is expected that one of the two will join Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in India's prospective fast-bowling lineup for the Test.
"I was prepared before the series that we could have a different (bowling) combination before every match. Yes, Anshul is very close to making his debut. But we'll see tomorrow between him and Prasidh who is going to make it to the XI."
India received a big boost as Gill confirmed that Rishabh Pant will take up wicketkeeping duties for the team. Pant had suffered a blow during the Lord’s Test while collecting a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, which had forced him off the field. Though Pant had batted, he couldn't keep for the remainder of the game, and the injury had cast doubts on whether he would be available as a wicketkeeper in the fourth Test.
The Indian skipper also voiced his support for fellow batter Karun Nair, whose return to the Test squad after more than eight years has been underwhelming so far. The 33-year-old has managed to score only 131 runs in six innings.
“We think Karun [Nair] is batting well. Sometimes it’s not easy— in the first match, he didn’t really play at his number. It’s difficult when a player is making a comeback in a series like this, you know. But I don’t think there’s been any issue with his batting; he’s been batting well."
Gill opined it was all about Nair getting an encouraging start in one of the upcoming innings.
“Sometimes it’s also about getting that click—once you’re able to make your 50, you get back into your zone and score big runs. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened for him so far, but we are hopeful that he will be able to turn it around."
The fourth Test starts tomorrow on 23 July in Manchester.